Chapter 1121: You, Too, Are in Doubt

# Chapter 1121: You, Too, Are in Doubt

Without needing Chen Ping'an to make a request, Lu Chen understood tacitly, as if he were flipping through a discarded scroll that had been tucked away in a book basket for Chen Ping'an.

The two cultivators atop Pomo Peak were like deities overlooking the mortal world. In their field of vision, the mountains were as small as mustard seeds, rivers as thin as silk threads, yet every person and thing within was revealed in perfect clarity, impossible to hide.

Within this mountain-and-river scroll, the straw-sandaled youth who had been wandering here was gone, and consequently, Pei Qian, who had traveled from Tongye Continent to the Hehuan Mountain territory, was also absent. Everything else continued as before.

The sickly peddler and the man boiling liver and intestines were still slain here by the young sword cultivator from the Tiancao Commandery Zhang clan. Only the crane-cloaked scholar and the headless female ghost with an umbrella remained, with both groups heading separately to Fengle Town. The dark-skinned girl nicknamed Qing Ni was entrusted by Zhou Qiu to the old martial artist Qi Song—a bearded, frog-bellied man—to be taken away from the town, with the disciple Lü Mo accompanying them. On that cliff face, they still saw the National Protector True Person Cheng Qian and the diviner Zhang Qiong, who was about to perform a divination. And still, only because the girl had started her monthly cycle—which violated the taboo for divination—did the old man put away his tortoise shells. Because Lü Mo had not met Lu Chen, this female martial artist, whose past life had been a close confidante of a dragon girl, lost the great fortune of being able to switch to the Daoist path of cultivation. Since Lu Chen did not visit the Baihua Lake Dragon King Temple, the stone giant tortoise at the mountain foot continued to swallow its pride. In the flower hall, Zhang Xiangdao of the Summer Moon Prefecture and his family of three remained safe in their water mansion lair. Yu Chunzhi and her three daughters entertained honored guests there, but the conversation was different. The master of Xieziling Bai Manor, still with some scholarly spirit, was unwilling to flatter anyone, so he could only drink alone. He did not become the "generous sucker," and thus in his sleeve there was no flower-and-bird painting album that he could have bought for a single Snow Coin... After rounds upon rounds of wine, everyone in the manor was deeply drunk, completely unaware of the romantic tent being set up. The mountain goddess of Chuiyuan Shrine, who should have been surnamed Chu, was still unable to hold her liquor. After Yu Youyi tossed that head down to the courtyard at the foot of the mountain, she returned and sat beside her... When the time came, Qin Que of Qingxia Island and Fu Qi of Old Dragon City had already quietly left Hehuan Mountain. Yu Chunzhi, who had been humoring Zhang Xiangdao, received a secret mental message. She made an excuse and left the flower hall with her two daughters, having them join Yu Zhen and immediately retreat to the family ancestral shrine for refuge. In the nearby banquet hall, Yu Youyi's expression was complicated. She proactively drank a cross-cupped wine with the mountain goddess, drawing sidelong glances from the crowd of wild cultivators, monsters, and licentious temple deities. The mountain goddess's face turned pale, her heart empty, as if sensing imminent catastrophe, but she could only stare blankly at Yu Youyi's retreating figure.

At the mountain gate where Hehuan Mountain and Fengle Town met, strange insects surged like a tide toward the acacia tree. The acacia tree, which had not bloomed for many years, suddenly burst into flowers like red umbrellas unfurled. Within all the banquet halls of Fenwan Manor, the scent of powder and rouge thickened like fog. The crane-cloaked scholar collapsed like a drunkard, unconscious. Then, as if the mountains had cracked and the earth had split, Chuiyuan and Wuteng Mountains flipped over completely, and a calamity of ultimate destruction struck without warning. Inside Fenwan Manor, walls collapsed, moss carpets tore, and countless fissures appeared. Slow to react, the Pipa Madam shrieked, forced herself to muster her spirits, and circulated the spiritual energy of her qi mansion, trying to fly away to safety, but a familiar rain banner cut her in half at the waist. The monster that had opened a cave abode on Yuanyuan Path and the burly monster who had brought two seductive maids to freeload were all pierced through by ancient iron spears as fast as lightning. In particular, the licentious temple deities who manifested their golden bodies tried to stand together against this calamity. Among them, the mountain god Li Ting was furious, cursing Zhao Fuyang and Yu Chunzhi as a mad couple. Zhang Xiangdao and the youth with the Daoist name "Long Sai" were beaten to a pulp by Zhao Fuyang's out-of-body yin spirit. Zhang Xiangdao tried to use an escape technique but was dragged back into Fenwan Manor by the yin spirit, where his body and flesh were ground to powder, blood flowing everywhere. None of the officials and clerks of the Summer Moon Prefecture Water Mansion escaped. Like two snakes entwined, the upper and lower mountains rolled violently across the earth, dust blotting out the sky. For thousands of li around, muffled thunder shook the ground. Sensing something wrong, Cheng Qian and Zhang Qiong immediately sent Qi Song and Zhang Yujiao to contact various forces, including the Liu clan emperor of Qingxing Kingdom. They took only Zhang Caiqin with them, intending to stop Zhao Fuyang's unscrupulous "path-verification breakthrough." But the situation was already set; just as Zhao Fuyang had expected, not only did he succeed in "coiling the mountain" and advancing to the Nascent Soul stage as a mountain flood dragon, but even his Dao companion Yu Chunzhi, having feasted well, smoothly became a Nascent Soul celestial fox, even though her cultivation base was not yet stable. Zhao Fuyang revealed his true body, dodging some of Cheng Qian's and others' attack techniques, and when he couldn't dodge, he simply endured them head-on. To allow Zhao Fuyang to escape the encirclement with their children Yu Zhen and others, Yu Chunzhi put up a desperate fight, using one trick after another to hold back Cheng Qian and Zhang Qiong. Ultimately, she was struck by several thunder spells from Cheng Qian. Yu Chunzhi fell to the ground, her life or death unknown. Zhao Fuyang charged straight ahead, crashing through everything. The mountain-water spirits and cultivators of various nations along the way, sensing trouble, quickly made way, actively avoiding his edge. The mountain flood dragon did not harm anyone, but the female sword immortal Zhang Caiqin resolutely drew her sword. In an instant, the night turned bright as day, thick sword light falling like rain of arrows, injuring the mountain flood dragon's huge head. But she could not stop its escape; she was instead struck by the dragon's tail, smashing her into the cliff wall at the peak of Pomo Peak. By the time she retrieved her life-bound flying sword and spat out a mouthful of blood, she could only watch helplessly as Zhao Fuyang fled like thunder in the distance, eventually escaping into a secretly set-up cave abode formation and vanishing without a trace...

The scene in the scroll changed. It showed a small, neglected Daoist temple in the capital of Qingxing Kingdom. Inside a barely noticeable rock wall in the artificial mountain, a bloodied "small snake" coiled up, about a foot long. It had horn-like protrusions on its head, already taking on a dragon-like appearance. The mountain flood dragon curled up, suppressing its faint bloody aura, and closed its eyes to begin healing. Within this mountain flood dragon's belly there was a separate space. Yu Zhen, Zhao Yan, and the others, beside themselves with grief and rage, burned with overwhelming hatred. In their heart lakes, Zhao Fuyang's calm and steady voice resounded: "Cheng Qian wouldn't dare kill your mother."

But for some reason, Fengle Town at the foot of the mountain, in this catastrophe, was like a piece of tofu on a table that Zhao Fuyang, with his snake tail, had deliberately or inadvertently pushed out of the battlefield.

As for the mortal scholar who served as the town's accountant, he fell into the town along with his table, merely dizzy and disoriented. Among the living mortals of the town, not a single one died.

Cheng Qian hovered in the air above the border, his face ashen. This old True Person looked like a youth.

On the ground, the unconscious Yu Chunzhi suddenly sat up. She smoothed the hair at her temples, her demeanor calm, a mocking smile on her face.

Within Qingxing Kingdom and beyond, from various deities and mountain cultivators to the imperial troops—who had emerged almost completely unscathed—there was an uproar and widespread discussion.

In particular, the generals leading troops from the two kingdoms other than the Liu clan all shared the same thought: for them, this military campaign—loud thunder, small raindrops—was just fine. After all, they had gained territory-expanding battle merits for nothing. As for the Liu clan of Qingxing Kingdom—hadn't they tried to steal a chicken only to lose the rice? And even more so, the Jinqué Sect's Chuíqing Peak and the Tiancao Commandery Zhang clan—hadn't they now formed a deadly, irresolvable enmity with Zhao Fuyang?

Inside a carriage, the Crown Prince of Qingxing Kingdom looked at the three royal seals that had just been delivered, all intact. What was Zhao Fuyang's intention?

The old emperor's expression was complex. He put down a spy report with rough content and pondered for a long time before saying: "Immediately issue an order: imprison the fox demon Yu Chunzhi. She must be kept under strict surveillance. No mistakes."

The young crown prince nodded and was about to leave the carriage. The old emperor worried that the prince did not understand the intricacies, as the matter was of great importance and no mistakes could be made. So he had to explain in detail, patiently: "Don't let the True Person Cheng Qian kill this Hehuan Mountain fox immortal in anger. In any case, remember one thing: if Chuíqing Peak has any objections, tell them the court will hand her over to the Guanhu Academy for judgment."

Yu Chunzhi carried a ledger in her bosom. In it were clearly recorded the crimes of the visitors who had died tonight in Fenwan Manor. Zhang Xiangdao of Summer Moon Prefecture, the Pipa Madam, that group of "great monsters," and the mountain god Li Ting of Wuteng Shrine—all were listed. It was a thick booklet, with dates, months, and events all verifiable. And then it used the word "etc." The mountain goddess of Chuiyuan Shrine, and Bai Mao of Qingbai Manor, were also on this list.

At the same time, when Zhao Fuyang's mountain flood dragon true body was struck by Zhang Caiqin's sword, he had spoken a single sentence to her via mental voice: "The enmity between Hehuan Mountain and the Tiancao Commandery Zhang clan ends here."

Hence, this newly ascended Earth Immortal at the Nascent Soul stage, who had been pretending all along that his cultivation base was unstable, controlled the force of his dragon tail strike with great precision. He did not damage Zhang Caiqin's foundational path.

Lu Chen put away this special scroll of passing time and laughed: "Looking any further would be boring."

Obviously, the registered cultivators, who seemed to have every advantage on paper, had lost to a very pure mountain-wild cultivator.

Lu Chen smiled: "So it seems that Cheng Qian actually owes the Hidden Officer a double favor now."

Heaven and earth harmoniously form their shapes; day and night without seam, they share spring with all things.

The human world in the night was like a youth taking a brief rest, waiting only for daylight to continue his distant journey.

Chen Ping'an made no comment at all about that slaughter. Instead, he asked out of the blue: "Is Wu Zhou's path-joining inspiration related to that essay of yours, 'The Sign of Virtue Complete'?"

If Wu Zhou relied solely on the path of refining objects, even with her divine ability as one of the twelve high-level deities—"The Forger"—she still could not reach the fourteenth realm. Her path was too fragmented, hard to unify. External things would become burdens on her path. Even if she refined countless immortal weapons, she could not advance further; at best, she could secure her position as the foremost among the Flying Ascension realm cultivators. But ultimately, compared to new fourteenth realm great cultivators like Wu Frostfall of the Suichu Palace and the Temple Abbot Sun of the Xuan Du Temple, the gap would only widen over time.

"Silence, silence!"

Lu Chen was startled by Chen Ping'an's direct address of Wu Zhou by name, which was completely against the rules of the martial world. He quickly waved a Daoist robe sleeve, offering up a secretly refined talisman to prevent that hot-tempered and fierce woman Wu Zhou from overhearing and misunderstanding that he and Chen Ping'an were plotting something. Fortunately, they were not in the Azure Heaven World; Lu Chen still had a chance to remedy the situation. Otherwise, it would be like having yellow mud all over his crotch—impossible to clean. Wu Zhou had always been suspicious, and she was patient; she would definitely pester Lu Zhangjiao for centuries.

"How would this poor Daoist dare claim credit? With her tenacious Dao heart and supreme talent, whether or not she took this path of 'complementing fragmentation,' she would certainly have entered the fourteenth realm. It's just a matter of time."

Lu Chen rubbed his face with his hand, a bitter expression on his face: "It's just a case of 'the speaker is unintentional; the listener takes it to heart.'"

Therefore, Lu Chen had no intention of granting favor, and Wu Zhou would absolutely not acknowledge this kindness.

Chen Ping'an continued to ask: "If I run into her one day on a narrow path, would she rely on her higher cultivation level to forcefully take what she wants?"

Because Lu Chen had listed in that essay a series of people with incomplete bodies, limb defects, yet complete in virtue and Dao. Each had their own flaw—blind, deaf, lame, hunchbacked, and so on.

Previously, according to Wu Frostfall, this fourteenth realm female Daoist with the Dao name "Taiyin" had already set her sights on Chen Ping'an, who possessed the "Executioner" and "Cutting and Investigating" divine powers. Wu Frostfall had also leaked heavenly secrets: if not for Yao Qing's help in protecting the path and reaching a secret agreement with Wu Zhou, then Bai Ou, the female national preceptor of the Qing Shen Dynasty, who carried a broken mountain halberd, would probably not have passed Wu Zhou's hurdle.

Wu Zhou was indeed a ruthless person. Early on, she had refined her own soul, limbs, bones, sinews, flesh, and even her hair into emptiness. In short, she had turned herself into a life-bound object, executing the most thorough "disintegration" to break and then rebuild. In this way, she could use a Tai Xu realm to contain all things. Hence, Wu Zhou now was "in human form yet heavenly empty," situated between the perfected person and the deity.

Lu Chen used an indirect expression: "If you were a perfected Flying Ascension sword cultivator, or had achieved equality of cultivation with her, presumably she would not make things difficult for you. If you met on the road, you would nod in greeting and each go your separate ways."

The implication was that as long as Chen Ping'an's cultivation level was insufficient, then when he faced Wu Zhou in the future, he would definitely not be able to keep the two relics of the ancient high-level deities.

Intuition told Chen Ping'an that as soon as he went to the Azure Heaven World, before reaching the White Jade Capital, he would definitely encounter Wu Zhou. And when they met, it would certainly not be too harmonious.

There was one good thing about Lu Zhangjiao of the White Jade Capital: whenever someone sincerely sought advice, Lu Chen would always respond with sincere words.

Lu Chen reached down and picked up a pebble from the ground. So-called formation setting was just the back-sword youth's smokescreen, specifically designed to trap those who liked to be suspicious. But it was also intentionally meant to appear genuine yet false, making the opponent think the back-sword youth was bluffing after "exposing the illusion." It was like an empty scabbard—even if the straw-sandaled youth was only a clone of Chen Ping'an, how could he not know a few sword techniques?

"Although immortals find it hard to fish at noon,"

Lu Chen weighed the pebble and smiled: "That elusive fish that slipped through the net—this poor Daoist has still found it."

Chen Ping'an was slightly surprised. Such a quick trace?

Lu Chen declared firmly: "This poor Daoist has an excellent eye for people. I've confirmed the identity. This child will definitely achieve great things!"

Chen Ping'an asked: "Do you plan to take him as a direct disciple, bring him back to the White Jade Capital, have him cultivate at Nanhua City, or leave him in the Haoran World, letting disciples like Cao Rong keep watch?"

Lu Chen tossed the pebble over the cliff edge: "Haste makes waste. He has arrived at a fork in the road. This poor Daoist wants to wait a little longer, see a little more."

They were both silent for a moment. Lu Chen's expression was strange. He waved his hand back and forth as if shooing mosquitoes, trying to dispel the gloom in his heart. He asked casually: "Don't you want to ask who it is?"

It turned out that first there was Zhao Fuyang of Hehuan Mountain, who secretly kept a portrait of Lu Zhangjiao and presumptuously crafted a lotus Daoist crown, sincerely hoping that one day he could travel the world as a certified Daoist priest of the Nanhua City lineage of the White Jade Capital.

Then there was the current sect master of the Jinqué Sect, Cheng Qian. Because of these two small matters, he had developed murderous intent toward Zhao Fuyang. Beside the old family head of the Tiancao Commandery Zhang clan, he sneered with clenched teeth: "To wear such attire without having that Dao—his crime is death!"

I, this poor Daoist, thank you all so much.

Is this a case of "when the upper beam is not straight, the lower ones are crooked"? No reason for it. It shouldn't be so. When I am out and about, I always build good relationships and conduct myself uprightly.

Chen Ping'an shook his head. Instead, he asked about the talisman Lu Chen had just used: "Does this talisman have a name?"

Lu Chen collected his thoughts and laughed: "For now, it's called 'See You Again,' which is the opposite of 'an arrow shot has no return.' 'Regret Medicine' would also be a good name."

Lu Chen laughed again and asked: "If you had known Zhao Fuyang would do this, would you have come here in your true body?"

Chen Ping'an nodded.

Lu Chen understood this well. There was a doubt that had troubled Chen Ping'an for a long time. Unfortunately, after so many years, no teacher had been able to come up with an answer that could convince both the teacher and the student. That was why Chen Ping'an had earlier asked Zhou Qiu and Liu Tie that question, hoping to approach the problem from a different angle.

One thing, same process and same result, done by different people—what is the difference?

Unfortunately, Liu Tie, a rough fellow, had answered irrelevantly, while Zhou Qiu had reservations and was unwilling to speak her true thoughts.

Lu Chen said softly: "A person whose heart is not strong enough, who frequently self-reflects and denies himself, will only become weaker."

"Be content in life, be discontent in work—that is all there is to it."

Chen Ping'an crouched down, took out the vermilion wine gourd that had accompanied him for many years, and took a sip. His expression was calm: "A little comparison in the heart."

Lu Chen turned to look. Before him stood Chen Ping'an—slender figure, airy and ethereal, wearing a gold crown, a green gauze Dharma robe, holding a white jade lingzhi, and treading on cloud-walking shoes.

Compared to the back-sword straw-sandaled youth in Fenwan Manor, not to mention appearance, even their temperament was like two different people.

The term "rebirth and change of bones" originally came from Daoist parlance. Applied to them, it was quite fitting.

Each of Chen Ping'an's clones carried some deeper meaning. For example, this one—probably the "original appearance" of an Earth Immortal-qualified cultivator. If his destiny porcelain had not been broken in childhood, or if he had left Lizhu Cave Heaven early and been accepted as a direct disciple by a sect or immortal mansion, or if he had simply waited for later changes in the times, the Mud Vase Lane youth could have risen with the trends, grasped some Daoist opportunities, practiced smoothly, gradually shed his earthen smell, and put on a full body of Daoist aura.

And that thin back-sword bearer—probably the Mud Vase Lane youth who had not spent money to buy a mountain, relying solely on a boxing manual to enter the hall, let the boxing intent settle on his body, and thus walk a pure martial path. After leaving home and wandering the martial world, he might join the military like that great-bearded wandering knight, drifting everywhere before returning to his roots. Or he might, like a certain Song senior, accumulate a fortune early, one day wash his hands of the sword, and enjoy his grandchildren.

As for the scholarly-robed scholar currently in that temple in Yuzhou, climbing mountains and watching clouds with a walking staff—perhaps he was a scholar seed who neither cultivated the Dao nor practiced martial arts. He might have advanced in the Great Li officialdom, risen to power, returned home in glory, and brought honor to his family. Or he might have been frustrated, demoted or resigned, retired to the forest and springs, appreciated flowers, and admired the moon.

Chen Ping'an was limited by his current Nascent Soul realm and talisman paper resources. Even a clever woman cannot cook without rice. So the seven clones he had created were not of high cultivation level or martial realm.

But this one beside Lu Chen—one of the two "Chen Ping'ans" serving as assistants hidden in the shadows—had been worth the investment. A piece of green talisman paper of extremely rare material had been used, allowing the creation of the skeleton and frame of a Golden Body realm martial artist. Presumably, the other Chen Ping'an would be a Golden Core Earth Immortal. If Lu Chen's guess was not wrong, he would be burly, rough, and coarse-looking—the kind of person you would take for a brute martial artist wandering the world. But in reality, he would be a qi refiner with several flying swords. In contrast, this one on Pomo Peak looked like an immortal of transcendent bearing. If anyone thought that a cultivator's body was weak and tried to close in for melee combat, they would only get burned.

Perhaps in the eyes of cultivators at the peak, Chen Ping'an's cautious measures were all ridiculous tricks.

But how many cultivators at the peak who could see through the truth—aside from someone like Wu Zhou, who had a path conflict with Chen Ping'an and was a special case—would actually take the "young" and "Hidden Officer" inscribed on the city wall seriously?

The title "Hidden Officer" carried weight, but the prefix "young" was even more frightening.

Just like in the Battle of Tuoyue Mountain, at the mountain peak, when the outcome was decided and the dust had settled, the great demon culprit stationed at Tuoyue Mountain—this deeply hidden Flying Ascension realm sword cultivator—had his head cut off. He was resentful, feeling that Chen Ping'an had won by relying on a realm gained out of thin air, and on that long sword and pure divine nature. It was a victory not earned by true skill.

At the time, Chen Ping'an used only one truthful sentence to make the eldest disciple of the Tuoyue Mountain Grand Ancestor submit sincerely.

In brief: if Chen Ping'an had the same leisurely Daoist age as him, that sword duel would never have let the opponent even see Chen Ping'an.

Just then, the night was deep and dark. Zhao Fuyang of Yunyun Manor manifested a majestic Dharma image, standing atop the Chuiyuan Shrine, and roared: "Cheng Qian, Zhang Qiong! Don't push me too far!"

He had schemed and plotted until now, never imagining that during his secluded meditation, when he was about to formally refine the mountain, he would be horrified to find that the mountains Chuiyuan and Wuteng were unmovable and solid as iron.

On the distant stone cliff, the True Person sect master of the Jinqué Sect and the family head of the Tiancao Commandery Zhang clan only felt that Lord Zhao's curses made a lot of sense. If they were in his shoes, they would probably lose their composure too.

Lu Chen chuckled: "One side curses with righteous indignation; the other side is scolded without being entirely wrong. It's a hit by accident."

A celestial raft ferry boat was hidden in the clouds. The Xiang Jun Patriarch, having brought Wen Zixi and the old woman along, used a space-contracting divine power to arrive at the mountain gate of Hehuan Mountain.

Wen Zixi looked carefully at the acacia tree swarming with insects, then raised his head toward the furious Dharma image of Zhao Fuyang at the mountain peak. He laughed: "What's all this about?"

The Xiang Jun Patriarch still did not explain their purpose. She chose not to fly but to climb the mountain on foot.

A young accountant stood on a table, looking at the three uninvited guests of unusual bearing. He shrank back, teeth chattering, unable to form a question.

Wen Zixi slightly released his martial intent, and a series of firecracker-like sounds rang out on the mountain path. He glanced at the mountain top from time to time and asked casually: "Xiang Jun Patriarch, this Golden Core wild cultivator with a bad reputation is guilty of countless crimes. Why not just kill him?"

The Xiang Jun Patriarch remained silent, struggling to stabilize her Dao heart.

This founding patriarch, whom she had only been able to admire in the portrait hanging in the Lingfei Temple's ancestral hall, might now be somewhere in the mountain. She could not help but be extremely nervous.

To this day, she still remembered vividly: when she was young, after becoming a direct disciple, her master Cao Rong first took her to the ancestral shrine to pay respects to the founding patriarch's portrait. The solemnity, the gravity with which her master offered incense, the reverence toward that portrait.

But it was also possible that the patriarch had only sent a decree to her master, instructing her to bring Wen Zixi here. That Zhangjiao might be far away, observing the mountains and rivers of this place from afar?

She took a deep breath and sent a mental voice to the two behind her: "We'll talk when we reach Fenwan Manor."

The old woman was even more anxious inside, wondering why this superior sect's founding patriarch had chosen this place to stop.

But as the peak master of Qingjing Peak, Xing Zi thought it over. Her own Gold Immortal Nunnery had a clear conscience. She had no conflicts of interest with Lord Zhao Fuyang of this place. So, if one stands upright, one need not fear a crooked shadow. When they climbed the mountain and met Zhao Fuyang, they would just respond to whatever came. They must not be like the man who buried three hundred taels of silver in the yard—acting suspiciously.

Zhao Fuyang looked down. First, he was startled and worried. Then he recognized the old woman from the Gold Immortal Nunnery lineage, along with the female cultivator's headdress. Zhao Fuyang quickly calmed down. After hesitating for a moment, he withdrew his Dharma image, put on a Daoist robe, and wore that lotus crown he had treasured for years. But he quickly took off the crown again, dressing only in the certified Daoist priest attire of the Jinqué Sect's Gold Immortal Nunnery lineage. He arrived at the mountain path, made a hand gesture of greeting, and said with utmost respect: "The rebellious disciple Zhao Fuyang of the Gold Immortal Nunnery lineage pays respects to the superior sect's Xiang Jun Patriarch, Immortal Master Wen, and pays respects to Peak Master Xing."

The Xiang Jun Patriarch frowned, seemingly puzzled.

Had the Patriarch Lu instructed her to come to Hehuan Mountain? Was it to help Zhao Fuyang extricate himself from his predicament?

Seeing this, Xing Zi immediately explained to the Xiang Jun Patriarch: Zhao Fuyang had indeed been an outer disciple of the Jinqué Sect in his early years, and furthermore, a secret direct disciple of a certain senior uncle. But the cultivators of Chuíqing Peak had made a mountain out of a molehill regarding Zhao Fuyang's background. Unwilling to implicate his master's reputation on the mountain, Zhao Fuyang had left the Jinqué Sect in anger.

The Xiang Jun Patriarch nodded, making no comment, and said: "Let's all use a cover spell and sit down in the manor."

She then told Zhao Fuyang to fetch the gift list.

Even though Zhao Fuyang was burning with anxiety, he remained calm and collected. He went to the mountain foot to get the ledger from the accountant, then returned to the mountain path, lowered his head, and offered it with both hands.

During this back-and-forth, Zhao Fuyang speculated: Could it be that this Daoist palace female priestess, who was a sect patriarch, had tampered with something, preventing him, the host, from coiling the mountain? Was she reminding him not to make a big fuss? That he should not harm the "fellow sect bonds" with Cheng Qian, who was also a disciple of the Lingfei Temple?

The Xiang Jun Patriarch flipped through the gift list quickly. She held the booklet, deliberately choosing an angle. When she turned to the last page, her Dao heart suddenly trembled.

She quickly closed the booklet, sighed softly within, but her gaze secretly burned with heat.

Sure enough! On the last line were written the names of three guests: Chen Ren, Zheng Qian, and the Daoist Lu Chen.

According to the gift list ledger, the congratulatory gifts were... two Snow Coins per person?

As expected of their Patriarch Lu; he truly enjoyed playing games in the mortal world.

But who were these Chen Ren and Zheng Qian? Were they extraordinary persons?

Could Zheng Qian be the female grandmaster going by that alias, Pei Qian of Luoyang Mountain?

Similarly, Chen Ren—was that the alias of the young Hidden Officer?

But in an instant, this upper fifth realm female Daoist had a momentary lapse of concentration. When she looked down again, only the name "Daoist Lu Chen" remained on the list.

Having been stripped of some memories, the Xiang Jun Patriarch was completely unaware. She silently tucked the booklet into her sleeve and said: "The three of us are visiting tonight, Lord Zhao. There is no need to announce it publicly."

Zhao Fuyang lowered his head in acknowledgment. She said there was no need, but in reality, it meant he must not.

After they entered Fenwan Manor, the Xiang Jun Patriarch told Zhao Fuyang to attend to his own affairs. When she finally stopped, she looked around and was somewhat disappointed, for she could not see that Patriarch Lu. But right—if Patriarch Lu truly wanted to remain incognito, she would fail to recognize him even if he was right before her.

At this moment, she felt that everyone in the banquet halls seemed like Patriarch Lu.

Zhao Fuyang returned to the family ancestral shrine. His Dao companion Yu Chunzhi was distracted and uneasy. If he could not coil the mountain, was he to just wait for death? Yu Zhen, Zhao Yan, and the others were also at a loss, exchanging helpless glances.

After some consideration, the Xiang Jun Patriarch chose a relatively secluded side hall. She sat down at an empty table with Wen Zixi and Xing Zi. At the next table, there sat a back-sword youth who seemed to have his eyes on top of his head. Beside him was a young woman with a coiled bun and freckles on her face, a skeleton in crane cloak dressed as a scholar, and a... bald monk whose features could barely be called delicate.

Regarding the secret matters at the mountain peak—the White Jade Capital's Lu Zhangjiao and the White Bone True Person had deep connections. Could this tomb skeleton of seemingly low cultivation at the next table be some hint from the patriarch? Could it be?

Thus, the Xiang Jun could not help but examine it several times. The crane-cloaked scholar smiled and nodded at this unfamiliar female cultivator. The Xiang Jun Patriarch became even more uncertain: Could this really be—?

The old woman sat upright, cautiously guessing the Xiang Jun Patriarch's intentions for coming here. After sitting down, Wen Zixi was also baffled. He used sound condensation to speak secretly: "Xiang Jun Patriarch, what is this about?"

The Xiang Jun actually did not have a clear plan herself at the moment. Her mind was entirely occupied with guessing whether that crane-cloaked scholar was or was not. She could only dismiss him with a line: "I have my own plans. You just eat and drink as you please."

After hesitating for a long time, she mustered her courage and spoke in as steady a tone as she could manage, sending a mental voice to the tomb monster, who had a string of military talismans and jade pendants hanging from his belt: "Dare I ask, are you—?"

The master of Bai Manor found that a young and beautiful female cultivator had taken the initiative to strike up a conversation with him. He took it as a turn of luck, and his heart itched. But since he prided himself on having read the sages' books, he habitually put on airs. Clearing his throat several times, Bai Mao remembered that line of pretentious verse that the Daoist Lu had shown off earlier. It seemed he could use it now. So he casually put on a show for the female cultivator: "By chance encounter, why ask each other's name? Facing wine, I suspect it's a dream. You, too, are filled with doubt."