Chapter 1010: Who Isn't the Oriole

Chapter 1010: Who Isn't the Oriole

At dawn, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

The Daoist who was about to roll up his bedroll and get out of town started stirring up trouble.

He held a peachwood sword in his hand, performed the Steps of the Dipper, and chanted aloud a "Daoist incantation" that he had copied from some unknown source.

"Listen to my words, ancient times had the Great Void, sun and moon interweave their light, mountains and rivers add grandeur, refined into a single golden elixir without leakage, without leakage, without leakage, dragons and serpents arise and fight on land."

The Daoist executed a sweeping leg kick, stirring up some fallen leaves from the ground, then struck a golden rooster stance, thrusting his sword forward with his right hand, the tip of the blade precisely catching a single leaf.

"Pure and light, turbid and heavy, yin and yang correct, heaven high and earth thick, endowed with spiritual essence, a single spark ignites a candle, like clouds blooming all over the celestial stars, urgent as the law commands, gather the cosmos into one sleeve."

The Daoist flicked his sword in a flourish, shook his left sleeve, twisted his body, pointed the sword tip toward the sky, and at the same time tried to roll the leaf into his sleeve. He miscalculated the force, and the leaf spun in the air, failing to enter the sleeve. No matter—the Daoist had his own remedy. He hopped, kicked high, brought his left hand's two fingers together, and pointed elsewhere together with the sword tip.

"Stay far from wine, lust, wealth, and anger, cloud friends and rain companions as sun and moon companions, accumulate pure yang, store up hidden virtue, turn the heavenly pivot and earthly axis, fine wine and immortal liquor, with a wind-immortal master, specially come to save."

XUE Ruyi remained silent for a long time, then suddenly felt a bit of pity for the Daoist, who seemed to be mad after having a bit to drink.

Yesterday, the Daoist and the spring-telling, picture-sending youth had been so calculating and self-interested. Could it be that they had their own difficulties?

She sighed. "Stop this foolish nonsense. I won't kick you out of the house."

The Daoist finally stopped. He placed one hand behind his back, brought two fingers of his other hand together in a sword gesture in front of his chest, and let out a cold snort through his nose.

XUE Ruyi immediately became displeased. How dare he push further? Did he really think she was begging him to stay?

The middle-aged Daoist put away the peachwood sword and tossed it casually onto the muddy ground. He intended to perform a sword technique that would embed the sword three inches into the ground, but perhaps his force was insufficient or the angle was wrong. The wooden sword struck the mud, wobbled, and finally fell to the ground.

XUE Ruyi still harbored some doubts. "Can you really draw that kind of Three Officials Talisman?"

Last night, she had asked Judge Hong and JI Xiaopin, two high officials of the City God Temple, and both shook their heads, saying they had never heard of such a talisman.

Judge Hong finally said that perhaps some talisman masters on the mountaintop had a secret transmission, and they must be of the Upper Five Realms. Only then might it be possible. Otherwise, ordinary talisman cultivators, even those deep-cultivated terrestrial immortals, could never hope to draw a talisman with such effects.

The Daoist shook his head and pointed at the peachwood sword lying on the ground. "I can draw the talisman, but the chance of success is not great. Even if I manage to connect yin and yang through the talisman, bypassing the City God officials, passing verification in the underworld afterward would be extremely difficult. To use a not entirely appropriate analogy, it's like using an imperial sword from a previous dynasty to behead an official of the current one."

XUE Ruyi's eyebrows shot up. So he really was a fraud.

The Daoist immediately added, "But I have a good friend, a remarkable one, with great supernatural power. He can speak with authority, and the effect is no less than deploying a Three Officials Talisman."

XUE Ruyi sneered. "You don't even plan your lies? How could you know such a friend from the mountains?"

"Blessings and immeasurable heavenly veneration."

The Daoist formed a hand seal. "I'm not making this up. I have several supremely powerful friends from the mountains."

XUE Ruyi pressed on. "For example?"

The Daoist said, "If there's an opportunity later, I'll introduce a friend surnamed Zhong to you, Miss XUE."

XUE Ruyi was puzzled. "What status? Could he be a registered Daoist from some immortal mansion?"

The Daoist smiled. "You'll know when you meet. Status is not important. Heroes don't care about background; champions ask not where they come from."

Seeing that the Daoist didn't seem to be joking, XUE Ruyi had another question. "Are you really going to help that youth? What do you gain?"

The Daoist said, "What a person's eyes see is heaven and earth."

XUE Ruyi was confused. "What do you mean?"

The Daoist had to explain. "A certain eminent person once said, 'For us cultivators of the Dao, within our abilities, if we help one person in front of us, we help everyone under heaven.'"

After a long journey beyond the heavens, having talked a lot with ZHENG Juzhong and LI Xisheng, he found himself less patient when chatting with others.

XUE Ruyi was silent for a moment. "Who said that?"

The Daoist smiled. "Far away as heaven, close as here."

XUE Ruyi's face darkened.

The Daoist continued, "I believe you've noticed that this youth's 'lot' is thin. Because of his difficult life experiences, his fate has been gnawed away by many big and small calamities. Therefore, if outsiders give him anything extra—money or otherwise—it's hard for him to bear, and it's very easy for blessings to turn into disasters. Among the common people in the markets, giving a hand to the poor is fine, and it's a good deed that accumulates hidden virtue and blessings. But when a cultivator forms a connection with a mortal, it's like a great lake flowing into a small stream. If the latter's fate is thick, like a wide stream bed, it can bear the load, and that's what we in the mountains call immortal fate. But if the fate is thin, like floodwaters flowing backward and overflowing both banks, it harms the person's roots and yang energy—that's what the old saying calls 'unable to enjoy blessings.' This principle cannot be ignored and must be carefully considered. Fortunately, the thickness or thinness of fate, the increase or decrease of blessings, longevity, and rank are not immutable. In my view, this youth has a thin fate but thick blessings. Simply put, he has late blessings, owes nothing to heaven, shames nothing to earth, takes nothing from others as wealth, bends to no one as nobility. That's why yesterday I said, 'Heaven helps those who help themselves.'"

XUE Ruyi nodded, but in truth she hadn't seen the thickness or thinness of that youth's fate at all. She was merely a ghostly being, neither a Qi-watcher nor a city god official. How could she understand such esoteric principles of fate?

She hesitated. "Then what about me and ZHANG Hou?"

The Daoist smiled. "ZHANG Hou has the protection of his ancestors. He himself is a man sheltered by the emerald gauze. If you give him a chance at immortal fate, he can bear it."

She asked, "Are there really no side effects?"

After all, she was a ghost, while the youth was a living person from the yang world.

The Daoist said, "As if yin and yang only exist in geography, not in the human heart? Miss XUE, don't get the order wrong and put the cart before the horse."

XUE Ruyi breathed a sigh of relief.

For the first time, she realized this fake Daoist might actually have some real skill.

The Daoist asked, "Miss XUE, with your cultivation, since you are not afraid of the blazing sun or the harsh wind, why do you linger here and refuse to leave?"

For a small, remote country like Yuxuan, a Observation Sea realm cultivator could easily establish a sect with a rich spiritual energy site.

Although XUE Ruyi was a ghost, since she had close ties with the Civil Judge of the national City God Temple and the Chief Officer of the Yin-Yang Bureau, she presumably was not lacking in hidden virtue. In fact, she could find a dragon vein, build a shrine, mold a golden statue, and have the court officially recognize her as a mountain goddess—that would be the best choice.

XUE Ruyi was vague. "It started with a bet with someone. I imitated the ancients who wrote poems on red leaves, and I was accidentally picked up by someone, and I made an oath with him in a shrine."

Year after year, the precious fan sat idle, missing the bright moon and clear wind. Springs passed, autumns came, the cicadas chirped sadly, speechless, choking. The wild geese passed by, the moon like a hook.

The Daoist hesitated, carefully choosing his words, then asked tactfully, "Miss XUE, are you well-versed in punctuation and parsing?"

XUE Ruyi smiled. "Not bad. I'm quite interested in exegesis. In my free time, I've read many works by former sages. Why? Are you having trouble parsing some ancient text and need my help?"

If it came to discussing exegesis, XUE Ruyi was not afraid. She considered herself an expert.

This brought up the neighbor's youth, ZHANG Hou. He treasured a "family heirloom" calligraphy scroll, totaling thirty-six characters, with no signature, yet Judge Hong had praised it as "thirty-six bright pearls."

This calligraphy scroll was also the foundation of the youth's path to the Dao, but unfortunately ZHANG Hou's aptitude was average, and his progress was slow. He was only a Second Realm Qi Practitioner now.

These thirty-six characters could roughly be parsed into two sentences, and the content of both sentences was quite obscure, which required exegetical skill.

Based on her parsing, she had explained the profound meaning to ZHANG Hou and, following a superior guiding and pulling technique hidden in the thirty-six characters, helped him embark on the path of cultivation.

The Daoist smiled. "When I was young, I once heard a friend, who was also half an elder, talk about the relationship between characters, words, sentences, and meaning. He said that every character forming every sentence has weight. At the time, I just listened and remembered, without deep feeling. Later, I discovered that the Sage of Literature had written 'Correct Names,' and in it, it says, 'Upon hearing a name, one understands the reality—that is the function of names. Accumulating them forms writing—that is the beauty of names. When both function and beauty are achieved, it is called knowing names.' When I saw this, I suddenly understood completely."

XUE Ruyi's face was full of pride. She pointed at the peachwood sword on the ground. "Less nonsense, you just like to show off your learning. Hurry up—write the content with your sword, and I'll help you with the parsing."

At that moment, CHEN Ping'an was a bit frustrated and didn't know how to start. The content of the calligraphy scroll that XUE Ruyi and the youth treated as a treasure was actually not complicated. After all, it was only thirty-six characters. Hidden within it was indeed an ancient guiding and pulling technique. Moreover, CHEN Ping'an had only glanced at it and, seeing the Daoist intention, found that it had some affinities with one of the three mountains and the ritual system of the Confucian Temple. Of course, CHEN Ping'an had no designs on this "Daoist text" that was of a magical artifact rank. But the problem was that XUE Ruyi, as a half-baked exegesis expert, had parsed the text for ZHANG Hou. It couldn't be said that she was completely wrong, but there were definitely errors. In Daoist texts from the mountains, a single character's difference could lead to an entirely different meaning. Otherwise, why would there be "one-word teachers" among Qi practitioners?

It was only because the content and the Daoist techniques hidden in that scroll were extremely pure and generous. If it had been some heretical celestial text or Daoist formula, and ZHANG Hou had practiced according to XUE Ruyi's teaching, he would have likely gone astray and deviated from the correct path long ago. Although ZHANG Hou's aptitude was average and not that of a cultivation genius, making it extremely difficult for him to reach the Cave Dwelling realm, the fact that he had practiced this guiding art from childhood under XUE Ruyi's teaching and was still only a Second Realm Qi Practitioner was very telling.

CHEN Ping'an thought for a moment. Forget it. He might as well be kicked out as a malicious person. He said directly, "Miss XUE, Master ZHENG Zhong of course was an extremely accomplished classicist. But in Confucian history, when it comes to exegesis, many of his details are open to debate. For example, some of his punctuation and parsing were once refuted word by word by another sage of the Confucian Temple with the same surname. So if you're following Master ZHENG's method of parsing..."

XUE Ruyi's eyes were deep. "You've seen that calligraphy scroll?"

CHEN Ping'an nodded. "I have seen it, and I know that a guiding and pulling technique is hidden within it."

XUE Ruyi remained silent.

With a wooden bell, he enforced fire prohibitions on all state affairs. In the palace and temple, he held candles. The influence spread east to the sea, west to the shifting sands, south and north, and civilizing instruction reached the four seas.

CHEN Ping'an reached out, took the peachwood sword into his hand, and began to write the thirty-six characters on the ground, helping with the parsing while explaining in detail why it should be done this way.

"Master ZHENG of the Department of Agriculture parsed the first eighteen characters into three parts, reading 'fire prohibitions' separately, which makes no semantic sense. The Sage of Rites often wrote 'enforce fire prohibitions' as a continuous phrase—this is evidence. If we follow Master ZHENG's interpretation, the duties of the ancient palace official become too broad. Therefore, another sage directly criticized such exegesis as 'no phrasing,' which means it doesn't form coherent speech—a very serious criticism for scholars."

"As for the last eighteen characters, there has been controversy within the Confucian Temple itself, and they have indeed argued for several hundred years. However, according to the Sage of Literature's view, the Sage of Characters, Master XU's interpretation of 'ji' and 'qi' should be correct. 'Ji' means 'and' or 'to, extends to,' describing the slanting sunlight; 'qi' is the same as 'qi' meaning 'to go straight.' Thus a more reasonable parsing is: 'It spreads east to the sea, west to the shifting sands, south and north reach everywhere; civilizing instruction goes to the ends of the earth.' The extended meaning is, 'Wherever the sunlight shines, civilization and instruction shall be implemented.'"

"Therefore, in ZHANG Hou's guiding technique, the method of opening a heavenly gate atop one cave dwelling to guide sunlight, as a fiery method of sun refinement, aims to achieve a majestic spectacle of the sun hanging in the middle of the sky. By guiding a straight line of sunlight, ZHANG Hou, at noon every day, directly irradiates the top of his skull, connecting the external scene with the internal. In fact, the cave dwelling is wrong, and the path of sunlight is also wrong. Following this step-by-step cultivation might not lead to a deviation from the right path, but it is ultimately not the correct method. The reasoning is simple: think of human dwellings—unless they have a central courtyard that collects water from four sides, no house has a wide-open roof. How else would one protect from wind and rain?"

XUE Ruyi frowned at times and nodded in realization at others.

The "fake Daoist" who expounded these insights—whether calling himself WU Di or CHEN Jianxian—was merely one of CHEN Ping'an's avatars.

Earlier, CHEN Ping'an had used talisman techniques to project his spirit onto various talisman effigies, scattering like stars across the land of Precious Vase Continent.

For example, this fake "Daoist" in the capital of Yuxuan Kingdom, besides setting up a stall, also studied the Daoist rituals secretly transmitted by an outer-surnamed Grand Heavenly Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain. And because of the calligraphy scroll, following conditions as they arose, he had begun deep research into exegesis.

Over in Yuzhou, a "CHEN Ping'an" had taken on the identity of a Buddhist lay practitioner, gone to a Vinaya monastery, and studied precepts, especially delving deeply into the "Four-Part Vinaya." The key point of Vinaya Buddhist philosophy and tenets lies in the word "precepts," which are further summarized into two categories: "stopping and holding" and "doing and holding." "Stopping and holding" means not doing evil, closing the door to evil; "doing and holding" means doing all good, cultivating the gate of virtue. So this "CHEN Ping'an" had previously written that Buddhist phrase.

In the territory of Qingxing Kingdom, there was an itinerant Qi practitioner who read military texts every day in an immortal inn. When traveling, he held a compass to locate dragon points and concurrently studied yin-yang and five-phase arts.

Near Zhengyang Mountain, in a place known as the Bamboo Branch Sect of Caicui Mountain, he served as an outer gate receptionist, delving deeply into the roots of the Farmer School and Merchant School through the art of calculation.

XUE Ruyi looked at the thirty-six characters on the ground and raised her head. "Who are you, really?"

CHEN Ping'an smiled. "In the human world on the mountains, who isn't a Daoist?"

XUE Ruyi lowered her head again, looking at the newly parsed thirty-six characters. The more she pondered, the more profound the meaning seemed. Without a doubt, this parsing was the correct one!

By the time she looked up, the middle-aged Daoist had already walked away holding his peachwood sword. She asked, "Going to set up your stall?"

CHEN Ping'an turned his head and said with a smile, "Your humble Daoist is best at reading people's faces, so I'll roll up my bedroll and get out of town on my own initiative."

XUE Ruyi shook her head. "You're not renting from me. Whether you stay or not is not for me to decide."

The middle-aged Daoist let out an "Eh?" and suddenly understood. That's right—they were both tenants, one new and one old.

XUE Ruyi hesitated. "Could you teach the most appropriate method for opening the cave dwelling and fire refinement?"

The Daoist shook his head. "ZHANG Hou's heart is set only on reading the sages' books. I am vulgar; I can't teach him superior immortal arts."

XUE Ruyi was a bit anxious. "How can you hold a grudge like that?"

The Daoist smiled. "Clear accounts make true men; clear likes and dislikes make true heroes. Without some temper and backbone, how can I be called a Daoist?"

XUE Ruyi reached out her hand. "I'll buy the several talismans you were peddling earlier."

The Daoist let out an "Oh my!" Quickly raising his sleeves, he hurried toward her. "I've always known that Young Master ZHANG has an extraordinary bone structure. With these talismans, it will be like divine assistance!"

---

This year's late spring cold was especially pronounced, and at the end of the second month, there was even a heavy snowfall.

In Jingyang Prefecture, Qingling Kingdom, there was an ancient custom of drinking morning wine.

After the snow melted, even if people were frozen like quails—not only men but also women—they would call friends and companions, and the smell of meat and wine wafted through the markets and alleys.

In Jingyang Prefecture, there was an ancient immortal sect called the Bamboo Branch Sect of Caicui Mountain, which was one of the vassal sects of Zhengyang Mountain, a place known for its sword immortals as abundant as clouds.

By a stream where the ice had just thawed, water gurgled. A middle-aged man in a cotton robe and deerskin boots walked hurriedly along the muddy road, patting off stone dust from his clothes. When he saw an old man with a dark face in the distance, he quickened his pace and approached.

The old man scolded fiercely, "CHEN Jiu! What's the matter with you? The honored guest has already arrived, and you're nowhere to be seen! I had to come and fetch you. Are you putting on airs? Are you waiting for Young Master XIA to invite you for a drink?"

The man said aggrievedly, "Uncle Bai, I left fifteen minutes early already."

The old man, addressed as Uncle Bai, said angrily, "We agreed to meet at mid-morning for drinks. Do you expect Young Master XIA to arrive on time? Showing up fifteen minutes early is not enough! You should be at least half an hour early. Don't you understand basic social graces? How can you be a receptionist?"

The man lowered his head and bowed, breathing into his hands to warm them. "Outer gate receptionist, just an outer gate one. Uncle Bai, don't be angry. I'll treat you to a pot of rosin wine later."

The old man glared. "Don't let it happen again!"

The man nodded vigorously. "I promise! Won't happen again!"

The old man hesitated, then transmitted his voice mentally: "Young Master XIA's temper—even if you haven't experienced it yourself, you must have heard about it. He has no sense of proportion. If this drinking party gets messed up and a good thing turns bad, won't you end up blaming me?"

The man rubbed his hands and smiled. "If he holds a grudge over such a small matter, he won't blame you. I'm not a dog that would bite the hand that feeds me."

The old man glanced at the debris on the man's shoulder—clearly this kid had gone down into the pits to survey the ore again. The old man's eyes softened slightly, but he snorted coldly. "You, a barefoot outer gate receptionist, have nothing to fear from Young Master XIA's reprimands. At worst, you can just walk away—this place won't keep you. But if I get dragged down by you, where can I go? Can I carry the entire Caicui Mountain on my back? If I run into you again, I'll berate you every single time."

A warm heart under a cold face—that was exactly this.

Some old people always like to say unpleasant but truthful things, as if afraid that others might appreciate their kindness.

The man seemed to be a carefree rascal. He grinned and started massaging the old man's shoulders. "Uncle Bai is an old immortal. Carrying Caicui Mountain would still be a walk in the park!"

The old man shook his shoulder, shaking off the man's hands, and scolded, "You're a receptionist. Save up some money and buy a decent dharma robe. Look at this shabby appearance!"

The man laughed. "Dharma robes—does it matter how many I wear? Besides, the truly wealthy people in the mountains all look like me. Wearing a dharma robe would actually make me seem less impressive."

"How much money do you have? And you dare talk about truly wealthy people? Have you ever seen one?"

"Uncle Bai, one day when I'm rich, I'll wear seven or eight dharma robes and parade through the streets."

"Are you wearing dharma robes or selling them?"

"Both at the same time, no conflict. Uncle Bai, isn't that a good business idea?"

Uncle Bai said, "CHEN Jiu, the reconstruction of the sect can't be rushed. It's a long journey. You still need to read more mountain-and-water gazettes and find those senior masters and fellow disciples first. You don't even have a single ancestor tablet, portrait, or sect register from the Patriarch Hall. Without a legitimate claim, whether the kingdom is restored or a new court is established, why would they be willing to hand over such a large immortal mansion site to you, a Fourth Realm Qi Practitioner? Even if the new monarch is generous and returns the original site, can you defend the family property?"

Because the entire southern part of the Precious Vase Continent had been occupied by the barbarian wasteland demons, countless mountain gates and cultivators had migrated north across the Great River into the northern region. Now, various mountain-and-water gazettes in Precious Vase Continent still carried announcements from southern immortal mansions and mountain sects recruiting old members or new hands, trying to replenish their numbers and restore their former glory. Otherwise, the Patriarch Hall had moved and was too far from the original sect site, requiring announcements in the gazettes to remind scattered registered cultivators of the new location of the mountain gate in which country.

CHEN Jiu nodded. "If I really can't find the senior masters, I'll go find Gate Lord GUO and ask her to help me rebuild the mountain gate. Then I'll sign a mountain alliance with her. That way, the Bamboo Branch Sect will have a foothold again."

Uncle Bai laughed angrily. "A fantasy!"

The earliest Patriarch Hall of the Bamboo Branch Sect was established on the summit of Caicui Mountain. Today, there is still the ruins of a Patriarch Hall there. But under the second mountain lord and gate lord, it was moved elsewhere. After all, as a mountain was continuously excavated, the earth and stone grew smaller, which was considered an ill omen. Caicui Mountain was a treasure trove. It had a quarry called Wild Stream, where jade could be both carved into inkstones and sculpted into various precious jade objects and jade mountain sculptures. Because the jade naturally contained threads of spiritual energy, with the energy veins resembling stone marrow water channels, although the content was not high, it was already extremely rare in the mountains. Especially large jade stones, placed in courtyards as feng shui stones, were almost standard for the noble families and powerful clans of Qingling Kingdom.

However, the Bamboo Branch Sect never dared to hoard such rare huge stones. They would always pay tribute to Zhengyang Mountain, and then a certain peak would resell them at a high price to dignitaries and nobles.

The founding patriarch of the Bamboo Branch Sect was skilled in geomancy and had a keen eye. Early on, he signed a contract with the court, purchasing the entire Caicui Mountain and nearby ranges at an extremely low price. By the time the Bamboo Branch Sect's cultivators began digging deeper, they were sitting on a treasure mountain. Zhengyang Mountain realized late what was under their very noses—a priceless jade vein. But the Bamboo Branch Sect had already signed the land deed with the court at the time, so it was too late. Zhengyang Mountain did not resort to ruthlessly exterminating them; instead, they sent a sword immortal from the Patriarch Hall to form an alliance with the Bamboo Branch Sect. In name, it was an alliance, but in reality, the Bamboo Branch Sect became a vassal sect of Zhengyang Mountain.

The current gate lord, GUO Huifeng, was a Golden Core female cultivator.

Because the founding patriarch of the Bamboo Branch Sect had signed the contract with the previous dynasty, when the founding emperor of Qingling Kingdom ascended the dragon throne two hundred years ago, the Bamboo Branch Sect and Caicui Mountain faced a looming crisis.

It was said that she sat within a great formation in Caicui Mountain, making it clear that if the sword immortals of Zhengyang Mountain dared to forcibly seize the ancestral property of Caicui Mountain, she would destroy it all. In that case, none of the three parties—Zhengyang Mountain, Qingling Kingdom, and the Bamboo Branch Sect—would have access to this vein.

The steely character of this female gate lord was evident.

CHEN Ping'an smiled. He was finally going to meet that brother Talented from Water Dragon Peak, who had rendered such meritorious service.

As the mountain lord of Luopo Mountain, he rarely talked about other mountain peaks, let alone specific cultivators.

But this man was definitely an exception.

Not only Little Mi Li, but even Nuan Shu and SHI Rou, the manager of Qilong Alley, had heard of him.

This brother Talented would never have imagined that he enjoyed such "prestige" on Luopo Mountain.

According to the old chef, if you don't chat a bit about Brother XIA's heroic deeds at the drinking table, the wine has no flavor.

This widely renowned "brother Talented," named XIA Houzan, was a proud disciple of the old ancestor of Water Dragon Peak, YAN Chu. He had been in charge of Zhengyang Mountain's intelligence affairs for twenty years, collecting information with utmost diligence and never daring to slack off. One of the most important intelligence lines was keeping an eye on CHEN Ping'an and LIU Xianyang in Huaihuang County, Old Dragon Prefecture. To this end, several capable subordinates, whom XIA Houzan considered his confidants, had established more or less close ties with the three water mansions of Embroidered Flower, Jade Liquid, and Chong Dan in Red Candle Town. They had poured plenty of immortal money into the pockets of those water palace clerks who claimed to have far-reaching connections and sharp ears.

But from start to finish, this Brother XIA never used any low-handed tricks. Of course, he simply dared not act rashly, since the backing of Luopo Mountain was the Northern Marchmount Piyun Mountain. It was said that the young mountain lord, a mud-legged commoner by origin, was a bookkeeper elevated by the mountain lord WEI Po, responsible for laundering much of the mountain lord mansion's gray income through the Niujiao Ferry jointly leased by two mountains, turning it into clean immortal money that flowed secretly into the mountain lord mansion's treasury every year.

As for LIU Xianyang, he had left his hometown early to study for many years with the Chunru CHEN clan on the Po Suo Continent. When he returned home, he was incredibly lucky to become the direct disciple of RUAN Qiong of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect, and RUAN Qiong was the chief honorary minister of the Great Li Dynasty.

With the backing of either the Northern Marchmount mountain lord or the Great Li chief, how could XIA Houzan dare to cause trouble?

After the sect celebration that shook the continent, XIA Houzan had "completed his mission."

CHEN Jiu suddenly said, "Uncle Bai, can I ask a favor? If that Sword Immortal XIA asks, could you say that I paid for this drinking party out of my own pocket, even if it means going into debt?"

Uncle Bai said, "Three pots of rosin wine."

The Bamboo Branch Sect had to hand over its accounts to XIA Houzan on schedule anyway, so this drinking party was a public expense—Uncle Bai didn't have to pay out of his own pocket.

"Two pots!"

"Done."

On the shore of a place called Scattered Flower Shoal in the territory of Caicui Mountain, there was a tavern owned by the Bamboo Branch Sect that didn't serve the general public. A drinking party was underway.

Today's host was the current mining official in charge of the Caicui Mountain quarry, an old man named BAI Ni, who was a cultivator in the Bamboo Branch Sect's Patriarch Hall. The sect's cultivators called him Uncle Bai.

There was only one guest—an honored personage from the superior sect, Zhengyang Mountain. He was not too young nor too old, a sword immortal named XIA Houzan.

The attendees included one man and one woman: the outer gate receptionist CHEN Jiu, and a female cultivator named LIANG Yuping, with the Dao name "Plantain Leaf."

The female cultivator's hairpin was a small, exquisite plantain leaf fan.

As for the man, there was nothing special to say—just an outer gate receptionist, ordinary in appearance, low in cultivation, and average in status.

She had somehow gotten wind of the gathering and insisted on attending. Uncle Bai couldn't very well refuse.

LIANG Yuping was an outstanding disciple of the Jizu Mountain lineage, and unless something unexpected happened, she would be the next peak lord.

Jizu Mountain was also the Daoist lineage passed down from the previous gate lord. In fact, the Bamboo Branch Sect was internally divided into two factions: the cultivators of Caicui Mountain were unwilling to be too dependent on Zhengyang Mountain, while the Jizu Mountain faction was determined to rely on Zhengyang Mountain. Previously, they had shown favor to Qiuling Mountain; now they had switched to clinging to the Full Moon Peak. Among the mountains, there were three types of vassal or subordinate relationships. The first was a clearly stipulated superior-inferior mountain relationship, where the inferior mountain's cultivators had to be registered in the superior mountain's Patriarch Hall auxiliary register, naturally of lower status and extremely difficult to break free from superior control. The second was vassal sects, which were subordinate immortal mansions that had to pay regular tributes of money and resources to the suzerain sect—this was the relationship between the Bamboo Branch Sect and Zhengyang Mountain. The third was mountain alliances, where both sides were vastly unequal in strength, but the weaker side was not required to pay tribute—for example, Luopo Mountain and the Pearl Hairpin Island on Turtleback.

The tavern was two stories high. On the second floor, there was a large room that was always reserved for entertaining honored guests from Zhengyang Mountain.

Uncle Bai led the man named CHEN Jiu up the stairs. In the corridor, LIANG Yuping was already standing at the door, elegant and graceful, with a string of priceless toad-pearl bracelets around her wrist that looked like lotus roots.

The female cultivator appeared to be about thirty, with a slender figure and a mole at the corner of her mouth.

The dharma robe she wore today was clearly chosen with care—slim where it should be slim, and fuller where it should be fuller.

LIANG Yuping caught sight of Uncle Bai, who held the real power over mining, and said in a soft, reproachful tone, "Oh, Uncle Bai, how could you keep Young Master XIA waiting so long? If I were him and had any pride, I would have left long ago instead of patiently waiting for you. And Young Master XIA even told me not to worry."

The female cultivator's voice was neither loud nor soft, but Uncle Bai, a Cave Dwelling realm cultivator standing in the corridor, heard it clearly. The Sword Immortal XIA in the room, who was at Dragon Gate realm, must have heard it even more distinctly.

Uncle Bai smiled lightly. "This is the advantage of having Yuping to entertain the guests."

The female cultivator's displeasure turned to joy.

They entered the room. Uncle Bai cupped his hands in apology. Young Master XIA put down the dou-li cup he was holding, stood up, and said with a smile that there was no need to stand on ceremony.

Uncle Bai asked, "Sword Immortal XIA, shall I have them bring the food?"

XIA Houzan nodded and smiled. "Naturally, the guest follows the host's arrangements. Since I have nothing to do these days, waiting a little longer doesn't matter. Besides, you brew such good tea, and the pre-Ming tea from the old tea trees on Scattered Flower Shoal tastes quite good."

Uncle Bai glanced sidelong at the receptionist, who looked relieved.

Fool.

Couldn't he hear the underlying accusation in those words? Starting to interrogate them?

Uncle Bai repeatedly cupped his hands and said apologetically, "It was my oversight. I'll drink three cups of wine as a penalty later."

"The elder is the most respected. If you keep saying things like that, you'll really treat me like an outsider."

"I wouldn't dare."

The female cultivator began to smooth things over. "Young Master XIA, today there's a main dish: drunken shrimp. Our tavern went to great trouble to buy eighteen 'silvers' to make a full plate. It was only thanks to a connection with a Great Li transport official that we managed to get them."

She made it sound as if she had paid for them out of her own pocket.

Uncle Bai didn't mind her stealing the credit.

XIA Houzan smiled. "Silver, also known as River Dragon. When I was younger, thanks to my master's favor, I've eaten them when they were two fingers long, several times."

The female cultivator's face turned extremely awkward.

Uncle Bai also found it troublesome. You, LIANG Yuping, think this is a rare delicacy, but why are you showing off to a sword immortal from Water Dragon Peak? Water Dragon Peak cultivates both the sword and water methods; its direct disciples are well-versed in water-based arts and certainly wouldn't lack knowledge of "river delicacies."

It turned out that in Precious Vase Continent, there was an underground river known as the Dragon Walking Path, traveled by immortal ferry boats. In the river lived a unique species of shrimp, pure white, naturally absorbing the essence of water fortune. At night, they shimmered brilliantly. In the northern part of the river, such as Comb Water Kingdom, they were called "River Dragons," while in the south, they were affectionately called "Silvers." A shrimp as long as one finger was already a top-notch river delicacy. If it lived for a hundred years, it could grow to two fingers. Now, a one-finger-long River Dragon could sell for a single Snow Coin, and even then, it was hard to buy without connections with the Great Li Transport Office or the Hou family of Old Dragon City.

XIA Houzan asked casually, "Which transport official?"

Uncle Bai said, "A transport officer surnamed Huang."

"What rank?"

"Seems like a sub-fifth rank."

XIA Houzan nodded. "So it's one of the assistant officers under Governor YU."

In the past, this kind of mountain delicacy was ordered in advance by a senior brother in charge of accounts at Water Dragon Peak directly from Governor YU of the Great Li River Transport General Office. But that Governor YU had a big air about him. It was said he had a close relationship with a certain GUAN of the pillar state clan in Great Li, which was how he got such a cushy job.

CHEN Ping'an smiled.

Speaking of which, over at the Great Li Transport Office, the transport official YU Shanfang, who was in charge of this Dragon Walking Path route, was an old acquaintance of GUAN Yiran. They were old drinking buddies. YU Shanfang had a low alcohol tolerance and an even worse drinking style. You couldn't tell if he was faking being drunk—when he drank too much, he'd crawl under the table. If he was really drunk, he'd feel the boots of the female cultivator QI Qi while under the table.

Back then, the Great Li court had established a new office specifically to supervise and manage the continent's ferry routes, immortal ferry ports, and mountain resource transportation. The chief officer was a third-rank official, only one rank below the Minister of Revenue. Within that office, the GUAN clan secured three seats. Originally, GUAN Yiran was supposed to take the lowest official seat among them. He had even convinced YU Shanfang to join him in the newly established River Transport Office. His intention was for YU Shanfang to work cleanly, making money, while he, GUAN Yiran, would climb the ladder of promotion smoothly.

But YU Shanfang reluctantly took up the post. As for GUAN Yiran—that son of a bitch who spoke like he was farting—he actually quit halfway and went to become the supervisor of the Great River.

Now, YU Shanfang, as one of the transport officials, was primarily responsible for the long north-south Dragon Walking Path of Precious Vase Continent.

As for the Hou family of Old Dragon City, who had earlier ventured into the Dragon Walking Path business, they once held half of the route. After the Great Li court intervened, the Hou family could only obediently step back and eat the leftovers.

The current Great Li River Transport General Office was set up beside the Ji River, not in the Great Li auxiliary capital Luojing. It was near the water mansion of the Marquis of Changchun.

The chief official, known as the "Canal Marshal," had been promoted from third rank to sub-second rank. The two assistant officials had also been promoted to third rank. By regulations, the River Transport General was not subject to ministry or court control and reported directly to the emperor, with the authority to submit special memorials.

Over the past twenty years, YU Shanfang's official career had been smooth. Since he had started at a high rank and was among the earliest members when the office was established, he could now be considered a powerful local official with real authority. Besides the one chief and two deputies, the original thirty mountain routes, after the Great Li court retreated north of the Great River, had been reduced to seventeen. The SONG court dismissed some transport officials and relevant assistants, mostly promoting or transferring them to local prefectures. Among the remaining transport officials was YU Shanfang, sub-fourth rank. The key point was that the Dragon Walking Path under his full jurisdiction, because its northern terminus was in Comb Water Kingdom in the middle of the continent, was the only water route extending into the southern part of Precious Vase Continent. So even a fool could see that Governor YU's authority was not limited to the Dragon Walking Path transport alone. The countries and immortal mansions along the route, after the Great Li court returned the entire southern Precious Vase Continent, still regarded the Great Li court as their suzerain state. It was estimated that a part of the credit should go to YU Shanfang. How much credit? One would know by the rank he received when he was later transferred elsewhere.

XIA Houzan finally seemed to notice the outer gate receptionist who had been standing there like a mute. He smiled and asked, "Uncle Bai, who is this?"

Uncle Bai said solemnly, "CHEN Jiu! What are you standing there for?"

CHEN Jiu immediately cupped his hands. "CHEN Jiu, outer gate receptionist of Bamboo Branch Sect, pays respects to Sword Immortal XIA."

XIA Houzan was silent for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "Honored. I've long heard of your name."

CHEN Jiu's movements were stiff. He maintained the cupped-hand gesture for a long time, then said, "Finally meeting Sword Immortal XIA. An honor, an absolute honor."

XIA Houzan smiled without speaking.

LIANG Yuping curled her lips.

Truly a dog that can't be brought to the feast.

What was BAI Ni thinking, to make a connection for such a useless piece? It would be strange if XIA Houzan would find him interesting.

A vassal sect of Zhengyang Mountain, an outer gate receptionist—he was responsible for greeting and seeing off guests, not involved in the Bamboo Branch Sect's confidential affairs. He didn't even have access to the accounts of the outer gate or Caicui Mountain. Moreover, as a receptionist, every expense had to be recorded in detail, reported to the accounts office, and he might even have to spend his own money. To become a proper receptionist of an immortal sect, one had to have a clean background with verifiable records. After all, the passes issued by the Great Li dynasty were not easy to forge, and the cost of forgery was too great. If discovered, one wouldn't just face the investigation of the Qingling Kingdom court; there were direct cultivators under the Great Li Ministry of Justice.

The imposing Sword Immortal XIA before them was that brother Talented in charge of Zhengyang Mountain's intelligence.

Before sitting down, XIA Houzan and Uncle Bai exchanged polite refusals and deferrals. LIANG Yuping added a few words with a smile, and finally they were seated.

Uncle Bai indeed drank three penalty cups first, then led CHEN Jiu in toasting Young Master XIA. After CHEN Jiu stupidly finished the drink and sat back down without further action, Uncle Bai gave the receptionist a look. CHEN Jiu belatedly stood up and toasted alone. XIA Houzan remained seated, took a sip of wine, and motioned with his hand for the man across to sit down and eat.

When XIA Houzan drank, his expression was gloomy—clearly in a bad mood.

Among the peaks of Zhengyang Mountain, sword cultivators of the same generation or similar realm as XIA Houzan had started speaking sarcastic words.

It was all his name's fault. "Zan" meant three parts jade and two parts stone. Since jade and stone were mixed together, it was naturally impure jade.

When the plate of "silvers" was brought to the table, XIA Houzan showed little interest. He just picked up a piece of drunken shrimp and put it on the plate of LIANG Yuping beside him.

The female cultivator was flattered and beamed with joy.

CHEN Jiu wanted to pick up a shrimp to taste, but Uncle Bai gave him a glare, so he had to sullenly move his chopsticks to a small fish from Wild Stream.

After that sword-fighting incident, a series of earth-shaking changes had occurred across the peaks of Zhengyang Mountain.

The highest-ranking old ancestor of Full Moon Peak, XIA Yuancui, a Jade Pure realm sword immortal, had not only taken the position of Law Enforcement but also occupied two peaks that had been idle for years.

TAO Yanbo's Qiuling Mountain had been sealed off. The old Nascent Soul sword immortal had voluntarily resigned from all sect positions. The sect lord ZHU Huang ordered TAO Yanbo to reflect on his actions in seclusion for sixty years.

YAN Chu of Water Dragon Peak had shifted from being the Law Enforcement Ancestor to the top manager of Zhengyang Mountain's treasury.

The peak lord of Qiongzhi Peak, LENG Qi, had announced she was going into seclusion, with her disciple LIU Yu handling affairs. The peak lord of Yujiao Peak, YU Lin, a young Golden Core sword immortal, had made a huge fool of himself in that incident, but he didn't become dejected. He merely said that the matter of setting up a stele on Zhengyang Mountain's border had gone through many twists and turns. Now, a group of hot-blooded young sword cultivators, nearly ten in number, had built thatched huts there to cultivate. They came from five peaks. It was said that they had formed a small faction of over twenty people, all relatively young talents from various peaks. YU Lin was one of the mainstays.

The sect lord ZHU Huang and the Patriarch Hall had said nothing about it. ZHU Huang only asked the peak lords of the young people's respective peaks to remind them not to damage the stele; everything else was left to their discretion.

In fact, Water Dragon Peak had suffered little loss in this incident. It was even the only peak that had gained from the misfortune, with its sect status slightly elevated.

The only exception was XIA Houzan, the proud disciple of old Sword Immortal YAN Chu of Water Dragon Peak. He was the most disappointed, without a doubt.

LIANG Yuping began to criticize a few of Zhengyang Mountain's vassal sects, then praised her own sect, especially her Jizu Mountain lineage, talking about how several junior sect sisters admired Water Dragon Peak.

XIA Houzan nodded and smiled. "Your Bamboo Branch Sect has always been on good terms with our Zhengyang Mountain for generations. My master often praises Jizu Mountain without stinting on good words."

LIANG Yuping glanced sidelong at Uncle Bai.

The Bamboo Branch Sect of Caicui Mountain was one of many vassal sects of Zhengyang Mountain. At its peak, there had been over a dozen such "inferior" or attached sects. But times had changed. Half of the nominal vassal sects, though not yet formally dissolved, had started making excuses, sending a subordinate to show face, just to fulfill their obligations, instead of taking the talisman boats or private ferries to Zhengyang Mountain's ancestral mountain for the regular "roll call" as before.

And XIA Houzan, the direct disciple of the Water Dragon Peak ancestor, a proper Dragon Gate realm sword cultivator, was now only in charge of "collecting accounts" from three vassal sects in the north of Zhengyang Mountain.

One of them was the Bamboo Branch Sect. Did it really need his urging? It wasn't like those "enclave" peaks far away—this Caicui Mountain was only a few steps from Zhengyang Mountain.

So any clear-eyed person could see that XIA Houzan had been treated as a sacrifice by Zhengyang Mountain and Water Dragon Peak, repeatedly demoted, thoroughly placed in an idle position.

To be fair, in collecting intelligence, XIA Houzan, with his Dragon Gate realm cultivation, had not been lazy or careless at all. He was very dedicated and conscientious. Although this position was usually quite lucrative, XIA Houzan could put his hand on his heart and say honestly that he had never embezzled a single Snow Coin. He only hoped that through his merits, he could secure a position in the ancestral mountain's Patriarch Hall. If his cultivation wasn't enough, against rules, then what about a future inferior sect?

Therefore, XIA Houzan, who had previously hardly drunk, now drank his sorrows whenever he had the chance.

Otherwise, given BAI Ni's status, could he invite XIA Houzan?

Just because of those "silvers" from the Dragon Walking Path that were less than half a chopstick long?

Only if Gate Lord GUO Huifeng of Bamboo Branch Sect personally invited him for a drink would it be considered "well-matched."

But those on the sidelines spoke without back pain. Nowadays, there were plenty of gossips at Zhengyang Mountain. His master had barely managed to keep him as a direct disciple of Water Dragon Peak despite the furious sect lord, but the best he could do was send this favored disciple out to avoid the storm. Outsiders had no idea how difficult XIA Houzan's situation was. To collect intelligence, he had to bypass the Great Li court and the Dragon Prefecture officials, and avoid the Northern Marchmount Piyun Mountain, which was tight as peas in a pod with Luopo Mountain. As for LIU Xianyang, how could he investigate? LIU had gone to study at the Chunru CHEN clan on South Po Suo Continent. And the Dragon Spring Sword Sect—the entire sect had only a handful of people. How could he infiltrate it or secretly plant informants? Even if it were a behemoth like the Divine Revelation Sect or the JIANG clan of Cloud Forest, it wouldn't have been this difficult.

YU Lin of Yujiao Peak and LIU Yu of Qiongzhi Peak had both practiced sword cultivation at Dragon Spring Sword Sect, but XIA Houzan could never get any useful information out of them. Especially YU Lin—before and after becoming peak lord, he had addressed XIA Houzan as "Sword Immortal XIA" respectfully, then later casually as "Daoist XIA." They were like two different people.

So XIA Houzan had to suffer in silence. Following his master's advice, he would lie low for a few years, lie low and not show his face. Later, he would find an opportunity at the Huangshan Sword Sect in the Central Marchmount territory, where a lucrative position with real power would be arranged for him.

XIA Houzan's face darkened. He took a sip of his wine.

The Hidden Administrator? Very impressive, huh?

If he ever met him face to face, with his temper, he would definitely challenge that surnamed CHEN to a sword duel!

What if he lost? He wouldn't lose his backbone for principles.

Surely the other party wouldn't beat him to death.

The outer gate receptionist named CHEN Jiu finally mustered the courage to say something fair. "Large sects are like officialdom—they inevitably pick up bad habits. Those who really work hard always suffer the most. If they do well, it's expected; if they don't, gossip floods in from all sides, openly and covertly, impossible to stop. A situation like Sword Immortal XIA's—just open a history book and see how many such cases there have been. I must propose a toast to you."

Uncle Bai looked with great surprise at CHEN Jiu, who was holding his cup with both hands. Had this kid finally wised up?

XIA Houzan glanced at him sidelong and nodded.

Unexpectedly, he could talk.

No wonder he could be an outer gate receptionist here at Caicui Mountain.

So XIA Houzan asked, "What did you say your name was?"

The man quickly gave his name again: "CHEN Jiu, CHEN with the left ear, 'jiu' as in 'old.'"

He guessed that maybe he hadn't spoken loudly enough before, or XIA Houzan just hadn't remembered—important people tend to forget things.

XIA Houzan frowned slightly. Another surnamed CHEN? It was annoying to hear.

CHEN Jiu seemed good at reading people. He immediately began to pledge his loyalty. "As for that surnamed CHEN of Luopo Mountain, since I first heard of him, I've never had any good feelings for him. If only I weren't so shallow in cultivation, I would definitely give him a beating with my fists!"

A hint of disgust faded from XIA Houzan's face. It was sycophantic, but at least it was pleasant to hear.

He squinted and asked, "Receptionist CHEN, you have no ties with that mountain lord—no kinship, no friendship, no enmity. Why do you dislike him so much?"

XIA Houzan picked up a River Dragon and chewed slowly. "No need to answer in a rush. Think it over first. You can drink recklessly, but you can't speak recklessly."

The atmosphere at the table suddenly became heavy.

LIANG Yuping looked on with a bit of Schadenfreude.

Uncle Bai began to worry. CHEN Jiu, you're just an outer gate receptionist. Is it worth flattering someone like that? Are you daring enough?

CHEN Jiu, probably emboldened by the wine, didn't seem intimidated at all. He said, "I read a travelogue about that fellow. He has endless romantic encounters—utterly disgusting! Full of talk about humanity and righteousness, seemingly chivalrous, slaying demons and monsters all along the way. But at critical moments, he's strict with others and lenient with himself, never willing to suffer the slightest loss. He's just a sanctimonious hypocrite! Beauty, money, opportunities, prestige—he takes advantage of everything. Seductive ghosts, fox spirits, talisman beauties—he's always surrounded by fragrant women, never lacking in the slightest. When trouble comes, some beauty always saves him and helps him through. Such a flowery journey through the jianghu—where's the danger? If I were him, I could do it too!"

CHEN Jiu drank another cup of wine and spat, "A man who only likes to reason and a man who never likes to reason—they have only one thing in common: good luck! Beyond that, they have no real skill at all."

Uncle Bai was speechless for a moment.

CHEN Jiu, do you really dislike that young hidden administrator's character, or are you just jealous of his endless romantic encounters?

XIA Houzan roughly understood. A shallow person. But his speech and actions were still appropriate; he wasn't a miser who couldn't see beyond money. In short, he still had some ambition, wanted to climb up. An outer gate receptionist who was willing to spend his own money to host a dinner had to be one of two kinds: either he had so much money he didn't know what to do with it, or he was willing to spend today's small money to earn tomorrow's big money. And a wandering Qi practitioner who had ended up at the Bamboo Branch Sect, at the Fourth Realm—how could he have a deep family fortune? Without a doubt, he was trying to build a relationship with the Bamboo Branch Sect, maybe with the Golden Core GUO Huifeng, to return home in glory one day.

XIA Houzan considered himself quite good at judging people. The man's demeanor of trying not to appear too obsequious, that humility, came from the marrow of his bones—it couldn't be faked.

Learning that the dinner was paid for by CHEN Jiu, XIA Houzan rarely offered a toast.

After setting down his cup, XIA Houzan asked with a smile, "Receptionist CHEN, I heard you're from the south, from Yellow Flower Stream. That's a big sect—among Precious Vase Continent's third-class immortal mansions, it's quite stable. Even though it was destroyed in the war and there's been no pillar figure to restore the old sect in all these years, strictly speaking, your Yellow Flower Stream was larger and had deeper foundations than the Bamboo Branch Sect. Why come here to scrape a living? Isn't it humiliating? By the way, I've heard that Yellow Flower Stream has several scenic spots. Among them, Mysterious Bronze Mountain and Coiled Chi Mountain stand facing each other, neither very tall, covered entirely in plum trees. When they bloom, it's white as snow. In Coiled Chi Mountain, there's the Yuanyuan Lecture Monastery, which is said to house a long scroll called something like..."

LIANG Yuping's expression changed slightly.

In the previous conversation, XIA Houzan had seemed not even to know this man's name, yet he knew that this man came from Yellow Flower Stream in the south and was intimately familiar with the local customs and conditions there.

CHEN Jiu was taken aback. After a moment, he said cautiously, "I only heard from my master occasionally that at the foot of Mysterious Bronze Mountain, the Yuanyuan Lecture Monastery does indeed have a scroll called 'One Cushion Outside, Ten Thousand Plum Blossoms,' but it's not usually shown to outsiders. My master had a good relationship with the abbot, so he saw it once. Afterwards, he told a few of us direct disciples that the scroll had been poorly preserved—unfortunately, it had many black spots, and many of the inscribed poems were illegible. As for around Coiled Chi Mountain, the plum blossoms used to look like... a splended essay. But in recent years, the locals cut down many plum trees because the profit from plum blossoms was thin compared to growing orchids in pots. So the so-called 'blooming like snow' became a bit of a misnomer. Literary wanderers preferred to go elsewhere to admire the blossoms."

"Blooming like a splended essay—yes, that sounds more obscure than 'white as snow.' Receptionist CHEN, you have refined taste."

XIA Houzan nodded, picked up his chopsticks to take a drunken shrimp, and turned to ask, "Uncle Bai, how much is the monthly salary for an outer gate receptionist at the Bamboo Branch Sect these days?"

Uncle Bai quickly reported a number: six Snow Coins.

There was a year-end bonus, depending on the situation.

XIA Houzan's chopsticks paused slightly in midair. He nodded and said only two words: "Not bad."

Then said nothing more.

But Uncle Bai understood. "Not bad" meant it wasn't much either.

He'd have to raise CHEN Jiu's salary.

This meal, CHEN Jiu hadn't "paid" in vain.

At the foot of Caicui Mountain, Wild Stream flowed into a large river. On the wide river, official boats of Qingling Kingdom came and went in a tangled mess.

Many precious artifacts carefully crafted by the Bamboo Branch Sect's mountain craftsmen flowed through this river into the homes of the kingdom's nobles and high officials.

Both banks were planted with apricot trees, full of blossoms, fluttering like snow in the wind.

Wind and rain, apricot blossom snow; north and south, water slaps the sky.

In the night, a female cultivator stood under an apricot tree.

For some reason, in the season of falling flowers, she was frowning.

BAI Ni came alone to this place. "Gate Lord, XIA Houzan appears easygoing, but he's actually extremely cautious. We couldn't get a single useful word out of him at the table."

GUO Huifeng nodded. "If he couldn't keep his mouth shut, how could he manage Zhengyang Mountain's intelligence?"

BAI Ni said softly, "The two-hundred-year lease signed with the Qingling Kingdom court is about to expire. XIA Houzan is responsible for urging our sects to settle accounts at this time. He can legitimately come to Caicui Mountain regularly. Could this be the intention of Zhengyang Mountain's Patriarch Hall or Water Dragon Peak?"

GUO Huifeng sighed faintly. "Even if it's not secretly ordered by Sect Lord ZHU or Sword Immortal YAN, XIA Houzan himself probably has the thought of making amends."

Last time, it was on her watch that the Bamboo Branch Sect renewed a two-hundred-year lease with Qingling Kingdom for Caicui Mountain. This time, it would be very hard for the Bamboo Branch Sect to keep this ancestral property.

BAI Ni said, "The contract clearly states that the Bamboo Branch Sect has priority to renew. Even if another immortal mansion wants to buy Caicui Mountain, the Bamboo Branch Sect can bid against them; the highest bidder wins."

GUO Huifeng smiled bitterly. "I'm afraid that the tree may prefer calm, but the wind will not cease."

BAI Ni understood the intricacies full well. He was just saying something light for the sake of his grandmaster.

Since the lease had expired, the Bamboo Branch Sect no longer had a legitimate reason to occupy Caicui Mountain. If Qingling Kingdom wanted to sell to another party—for example, if Zhengyang Mountain offered a high price—the Bamboo Branch Sect would have a hard time outbidding Zhengyang Mountain.

And even if Zhengyang Mountain was willing to bid, would the Bamboo Branch Sect dare to compete?

No wonder a royal honorary cultator from Qingling Kingdom had come recently, trying to keep his movements secret from Zhengyang Mountain. He had found GUO Huifeng privately and spoken in a roundabout way, implying that the emperor's side was very willing to renew the contract with the Bamboo Branch Sect, and the price was negotiable.

Obviously, they were worried that the Bamboo Branch Sect wouldn't even bid, letting Zhengyang Mountain snatch it up at a rock-bottom price.

So for both Qingling Kingdom and the Bamboo Branch Sect, the question of Caicui Mountain's ownership for the next few centuries was an extremely, extremely delicate and complex situation.

Take the Qingling Kingdom emperor: he dared not offend Zhengyang Mountain, yet he didn't want to just give away Caicui Mountain. He wanted GUO Huifeng and the Bamboo Branch Sect to bid high, but he also didn't want to anger Zhengyang Mountain by doing so.

And for GUO Huifeng, if she decided not to contest the mountain, she simply wouldn't bid—Zhengyang Mountain would be happy, but that would sour relations with the Qingling Kingdom court.

Alternatively, she could ignore the displeasure of both sides and have BAI Ni, on behalf of his master who was the sect's treasurer, keep bidding up to thirty Grain Rain Coins. No matter what Zhengyang Mountain offered, either the deal would go through or it wouldn't.

But once she gave up Caicui Mountain, the biggest source of revenue, the Bamboo Branch Sect would...

Would it really have to gradually decline into becoming a subordinate sect of Zhengyang Mountain?

GUO Huifeng was determined not to accept that.

If it weren't for the limitations of her sect's geographical location, GUO Huifeng would have wanted nothing to do with Zhengyang Mountain from the very beginning. This feeling stemmed from having seen or heard too many of Zhengyang Mountain's shady dealings.

BAI Ni hesitated several times but finally mustered the courage to suggest, "Gate Lord, if you truly want to keep the ancestral property without incurring Zhengyang Mountain's enmity, could we... with that mountain in the north, that young hidden administrator..."

In the end, the old man probably felt it was absurd himself, so he stopped.

GUO Huifeng couldn't help but laugh. She held it in for a moment, then burst out laughing. She was clearly amused by Uncle Bai's wild idea. "Uncle Bai, who do you take me for? An Upper Five Realms cultivator? Or a native of Li Zhu Cave Heaven? Do you think I can just go over there and meet that person? Even if I don't get turned away at the door and actually meet him, can we negotiate something?"

"Uncle Bai, do you think Luopo Mountain is a charity?"

Because she looked "old," even though her cultivation and Dao age were far greater than BAI Ni's, GUO Huifeng liked to affectionately call him "Uncle Bai."

It was clear that the Bamboo Branch Sect's style wasn't rigidly hierarchical, based solely on cultivation.

"Right." BAI Ni nodded, recalling what that receptionist had said at the table earlier. "Besides, according to that widely circulated travelogue from early years, the young Mountain Lord CHEN was quite a philanderer in his youth."

If that were true, wouldn't the gate lord be walking right into a trap? Better not throw a meat bun at a dog...

As for the contents of that travelogue, better to believe them than not.

Putting himself in the other man's shoes—after all, a man without romantic affairs would be strange. It's only natural to have a few red beautiful confidantes.

GUO Huifeng was puzzled and curious. "What travelogue? About the Hidden Administrator? Can such a book even be printed and sold?"

BAI Ni's face reddened. "Nothing, nothing. Just a random book someone made up. A bit too much fragrance of powder—nothing worth reading."

On the river, an official boat carried two old sword immortals of the same lineage but different generations in a secret meeting.

They had hung curtains, which formed a layer of mountain-and-water prohibition to prevent eavesdropping.

The two peak lords of Zhengyang Mountain: XIA Yuancui of Full Moon Peak and YAN Chu of Water Dragon Peak.

"YAN Chu, aren't you going to tell XIA Houzan plainly?"

"Old Ancestor XIA, my disciple is intelligent enough and has a tight mouth, but his biggest flaw is that he's not ruthless enough. That's why he hasn't been able to reach Golden Core. For such a secret matter, he'd be of no help, so I won't let him get involved, to avoid complications. ZHU Huang is not stupid; if he detects anything, it won't be good."

XIA Yuancui squinted toward the distant Caicui Mountain. "It's just a jade vein that's been mined for centuries. The geomatic masters of Qingling Kingdom's Imperial Observatory recently estimated its remaining value at about a hundred Grain Rain Coins. It takes time and effort. Giving it to GUO Huifeng wouldn't be a big loss. We still get a sizable annual share—consider it wages for hiring them to quarry. The real problem is GUO Huifeng is too stubborn. She doesn't see the bigger picture and always wants to cut ties with Zhengyang Mountain. We'll use her as a warning to others. Through this opportunity, make GUO Huifeng lose everything, then prop up the Jizu Mountain lineage. The Bamboo Branch Sect must sign a superior-inferior mountain contract with us. Those other vassal sects are all fence-sitters. Once they see GUO Huifeng's miserable fate, they'll fall in line."

"How do we force her to openly break with ZHU Huang?"

"I have a plan. Just wait and watch."

"Old Ancestor XIA, can YU Lin of Yujiao Peak be trusted?"

"I promised him that after things are settled, he'll concurrently serve as the Law Enforcement Ancestor of the inferior sect, Huangzhu Sword Sect. He has no reason to refuse."

"I always feel that kid is an ungrateful wolf, born with a rebellious bone."

"A rebellious bone? That's fine. After the dust settles, how far can he rebel?"

At this, XIA Yuancui smiled at YAN Chu. "First rebel against ZHU Huang, then against me? With just him being a Golden Core sword immortal?"

YAN Chu sensed the implication in the old ancestor's words and looked a bit embarrassed. "Old Ancestor XIA overestimates me. I don't have the fate to become a sect lord, nor do I have that ambition or strength. I know my limits. I'm old, and I'm fully aware of how much I'm worth. In the future, I'll be content to serve as Law Enforcement of the superior sect while concurrently being the mountain lord of the inferior sect."

"YU Lin is smart—a single word is enough. I didn't say anything directly. If he dared to go to ZHU Huang and accuse me, an old ancestor, of plotting a coup, I would admire his courage and boldness."

XIA Yuancui suddenly narrowed his eyes and smiled. "YAN Chu, if the inferior sect can become a sect, you'll have to resign as the Law Enforcement of the superior sect."

YAN Chu could tell that XIA Yuancui wasn't joking. The old Nascent Soul cultivator's eyes instantly burned with fervor, and he said resolutely, "No problem!"

Even if it was the inferior sect's sect lord, it was still a genuine sect lord!

In the three thousand years of Precious Vase Continent, how many sects had there been, and how many had served as sect lords?

Earlier, at a Patriarch Hall meeting, XIA Yuancui had suddenly suggested that sword cultivators from all peaks of Zhengyang Mountain, regardless of gender, age, cultivation level, or lineage, as long as they were willing, could go to the Barbarian Wasteland to make contributions, slay demons, and that he, XIA Yuancui, along with Full Moon Peak, could lead them, crossing through a Guixu channel by ferry to travel across the worlds.

This statement caused an uproar in the hall. Many old sword cultivators, who were used to leaving meetings halfway, suddenly looked at this old ancestor, who had been in seclusion for years, with new respect.

But the sect lord ZHU Huang only said that this matter was significant and needed careful deliberation.

Soon after, ZHU Huang went to Full Moon Peak and complained that the grandmaster had acted impulsively without consulting him first.

XIA Yuancui said it was just a distant training journey, not an actual battlefield. If they had to fight the demons, he would make arrangements early. This would turn the perception of Zhengyang Mountain in Precious Vase Continent for the better. ZHU Huang remained silent and left dejectedly.

Now, among the peaks of Zhengyang Mountain, especially among the hot-blooded young cultivators, many were extremely dissatisfied with ZHU Huang. They felt that as the sect lord, he had shown weakness in dealing with Luopo Mountain's observation ceremony, backed down at every turn, and especially the matter of setting up a stele on the border—they considered it a humiliation unprecedented in Zhengyang Mountain's thousand-year history.

Moreover, the attempt to establish an inferior sect had fallen through. Patrol Envoy CAO Ping's abrupt departure, and the Great Li court's obvious favoritism toward Luopo Mountain.

For reputation, Zhengyang Mountain had become a laughingstock across the continent. A new sword sect that should have been rising to its zenith—the young sword cultivators now had no face to go down the mountain for training.

For profit, all their efforts had been in vain. The prospect of one mountain with two sects had turned into a pipe dream. The many benefits and advantages of having an inferior sect were now just fantasy.

In short, ZHU Huang, who had gone from mountain lord to sect lord, saw his personal prestige plummet to rock bottom.

If Zhengyang Mountain had only ZHU Huang as a sword immortal in the Upper Five Realms, then regardless, no one could shake ZHU Huang's position as sect lord.

But ZHU Huang's grandmaster, XIA Yuancui, happened to also be a Jade Pure realm sword immortal.

"Old Ancestor XIA, what about TAO Yanbo?"

"Naturally, he holds a grudge against my nephew ZHU Huang. Not only was his sect sealed for sixty years, but he was also forced into introspection. Anyone would consider that a disgrace. Besides, TAO Yanbo knows well that if he wants to get even with that surnamed CHEN, as long as ZHU Huang remains sect lord, it's just a dream. There must be a change of dynasty. Otherwise, after sixty years of sealing his peak, they'll get no sword cultivation seedlings. Qiuling Mountain will definitely be finished. The fate of Guo Yunlou's peak is a lesson for us."

YAN Chu nodded. TAO Yanbo indeed had a good reason to be desperate.

With his own Water Dragon Peak, plus Full Moon Peak of this Jade Pure realm old ancestor, and TAO Yanbo's Qiuling Mountain, it wouldn't even be necessary to mention the other peaks. ZHU Huang, besides his own ancestral peak lineage, would almost be a true lonely man on Zhengyang Mountain.

XIA Yuancui laughed. "Honestly, if I were in ZHU Huang's position, as the sect lord facing that aggressive, well-prepared observation ceremony, I probably wouldn't have done much better."

Shaking his head, XIA Yuancui clicked his tongue. "I just have to blame my nephew's bad luck. When he was at the Nascent Soul realm, he ran into LI Tuanjing of Wind and Thunder Garden. Then, not long after he reached Jade Pure, he encountered those two young men."

YAN Chu raised his cup. "Here's to Old Ancestor XIA's new throne!"

XIA Yuancui also raised his cup and said calmly, "Easy to say."

YAN Chu suddenly gave himself a light slap. "Actually, I should be calling you Sect Lord XIA now."

XIA Yuancui burst into laughter, and they both drank deeply.

At the Jizu Mountain of the Bamboo Branch Sect, in an inconspicuous, elegant residence, an elderly female cultivator was entertaining a guest of the highest importance.

She was the peak lord of Jizu Mountain, LIANG Yuping's master, and also the current Law Enforcement Ancestor of the Bamboo Branch Sect.

The guest was ZHU Huang.

Within the Bamboo Branch Sect, after GUO Huifeng took over as gate lord, it gradually split into the Caicui Mountain faction and the Jizu Mountain faction. It couldn't be said that they were irreconcilable enemies, but there was certainly an undercurrent. The fundamental disagreement was whether to gradually distance from Zhengyang Mountain and eventually break free, or to fully surrender to Zhengyang Mountain.

ZHU Huang was playing with a bamboo-yellow paper-cutting knife crafted in the mountains.

Among commoner scholar families, such knives were used for cutting rice paper. The knife in ZHU Huang's hand could also cut metals and stones.

ZHU Huang put the paper-cutting knife back into its guqin-shaped wooden box and handed it to the female cultivator together with the box. He smiled. "A gift for you."

She took the knife.

After a moment of thought, she understood the meaning: she was to stir things up.

He was using the knife to kill.

ZHU Huang smiled. "Don't overthink it. The gift is just a gift. You don't need to do anything extra; otherwise, it will only ruin things. Besides, you've finally found a place to settle down, and you and GUO Huifeng are fellow disciples—why do you need to kill each other? On the contrary, I hope you can help GUO Huifeng at the right time, so that this farce doesn't go too far. That person is far more intelligent than you, and certainly more than me."

She was greatly surprised. After confirming that he wasn't joking, she transmitted her voice mentally: "How can the sect lord be sure that person is currently hiding somewhere and will definitely meddle in this matter?"

"Intuition."

"And if, just if, that person deliberately stands by and does nothing—what will the sect lord do?"

ZHU Huang said indifferently, "As long as XIA Yuancui dies, YAN Chu, TAO Yanbo, and others—these buffoons who will never reach the Upper Five Realms in their lifetime—what waves can they stir?"

There was one thing ZHU Huang did not reveal to the female cultivator: it was under his orders that TAO Yanbo of Qiuling Mountain had actively conspired with that grandmaster.

As for YU Lin of Yujiao Peak, he was much smarter than ZHU Huang had imagined. He even dared to voluntarily expose the grandmaster's plot of rebellion.

By the side of Wild Stream, the outer gate receptionist named CHEN Jiu was fishing.

BAI Ni took his leave of the gate lord and returned alone to Scattered Flower Shoal. He found CHEN Jiu, who knew how to steal a moment of leisure, squatting beside an apricot tree, hands in his sleeves, lightly stamping his feet. Beside him was a bottle of wine that had been left unfinished at the table; he had helped himself to it. He was staring blankly at the water.

The old man ambled over to the stream and said with a smile, "Don't forget, two pots of rosin wine."

CHEN Jiu looked up. "What?"

Uncle Bai sat down beside him and didn't bother with this kid's pretense of playing dumb. He looked up at the apricot tree and said out of nowhere, "CHEN Jiu, when I first joined the Bamboo Branch Sect, I remember following my master to Caicui Mountain for the first time. While walking, I saw the apricot trees full of blossoms along the river. They were beautiful, but a saying from my hometown came to mind, and I felt it wasn't quite right: 'Peaches nourish people, apricots hurt people; under a plum tree, bury the dead.' I didn't understand taboos back then, so I told my master directly. He said to me: 'Down the mountain, they have their sayings; up the mountain, we have our principles. And this principle isn't wrong; on the contrary, its meaning is very auspicious.'"

Uncle Bai asked with a smile, "Do you know what principle that saying holds up on the mountain?"

The man shook his head. "Uncle Bai, how could I guess?"

Uncle Bai nodded. "That's what I said to my master back then."

CHEN Ping'an smiled. "Did you ever get an answer?"

Uncle Bai suddenly changed his demeanor, clasped his hands behind his head, and said lazily, "I happened to read a story in a book. It is said that a White Bone True Immortal, far from human traces and utterly solitary, once slept for a long time under a plum tree, and eventually achieved the great Dao of immortality and imperishability."

CHEN Ping'an looked straight