# Chapter 1022: Mountains and Waters Repeat
Pei Qian sent a secret message: "Master, one Jade Purity and two Golden Cores."
Because the "master" beside her was only one of nine clones, limited by the quality of the talisman material and insufficient martial arts realm, Pei Qian had taken on the role of her master's eyes and ears.
Chen Ping'an looked straight ahead, burped, and leaning back in his chair, also used the technique of condensing sound into a thread, teasing, "Then they can be considered true 'river-crossing dragons.'"
Pei Qian asked doubtfully, "Wandering cultivators passing through?"
Chen Ping'an said, "Eighty percent chance it's the work of Headmaster Lu."
Pei Qian nodded. A troublemaker, indeed.
She had actually long since detected the movements of Xiangjun and her two companions. From the moment they entered Fenwan Manor, Pei Qian had been paying attention to the weight of their footsteps and the length of their breaths. When the three cultivators appeared in a winding corridor of the circular banquet hall, even though they had used illusions to change their appearances and attire, in Pei Qian's eyes, it was as if the disguises didn't exist.
Pei Qian merely swept her gaze over them a few times and saw the scene within the heart-mind of that Upper Five Realms female Daoist. It was quite peculiar: there was a vast, boundless, and extremely empty Ancestral Hall, with a frail young girl as small as a mustard seed, looking ahead at the back of a Daoist figure as towering as a mountain. This figure held incense in both hands, the smoke curling upward as if reaching the Celestial Court. He was paying respects to the only ancestral portrait hanging there. The painting depicted a young Daoist. This portrait could be called a "masterpiece." The Daoist in the painting had the imposing power to stand between heaven and earth, and it made the originally mountain-like figure in front appear infinitely small.
All three wore lotus crown headdresses.
Clearly, in the heart of this accomplished female Daoist, she herself was still smaller than her sect. The one ahead holding incense and paying respects to the portrait was higher than the sect. And the patriarch in that painting... was even greater than heaven.
As for the old crone, at the center of her heart-lake was an island, upon which stood a dignified golden immortal. One arm coiled with a vivid red fire dragon, the other wrapped around an emerald green water serpent. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled in the sky above.
Perhaps this was the concrete form of what the old crone imagined a "Golden Immortal" to be?
In the man's heart-mind, there was a wooden puppet, leaping and jumping among mountains and rivers, like an ancient true man crossing peaks and seas. There was also a clay figure sitting cross-legged in meditation. The two, one moving and one still, were both human-like yet not human, spirit-monster-like yet not spirit-monster.
Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment, then asked with a smile, "Have you seen their heart-minds? Any unusual or remarkable scenes?"
Pei Qian smiled sheepishly, asked her master to wait a moment, and began rapidly rifling through her memories. It was like casting a fishing line and then lifting the rod to look at the bait. For example, the bait Pei Qian had prepared for the female Daoist was "masterpiece" and "Daoist crown." For the old crone, it was "golden immortal." For the man, it was "wooden puppet and clay ridge."
So if her master hadn't asked about this, Pei Qian would have seen it and forgotten it, leaving only a vague impression. She only needed to determine the approximate depth of their cultivation and a rough sense of friend or foe. If conflict arose, she would know which martial realm to use to fight. In short, their identities didn't matter. Pei Qian only needed to determine one thing: know in her heart how many punches at what realm she needed to throw.
Now, with these few clues, the memories sealed away in Pei Qian's heart-lake could be fully restored. It was like three old scrolls being unrolled by their owner, revealing everything. With the obvious clue of the lotus crown, Pei Qian "reconfirmed" their identities and said, "Master, she is Xiangjun, the founding patriarch of Lingfei Palace, with the Dao name 'Dongting.' She is an accomplished disciple of Celestial Lord Cao Rong. Besides her well-known methods across the continent, I once overheard a piece of gossip from some Qi refiner in the capital Luojing. They said she was actually most skilled in spirit-summoning and divination, claiming to be the best in Bao Ping Province at planchette writing. Someone asserted with great certainty that when she broke through from the Nascent Soul realm to Jade Purity, she had no heart-demon tribulation. It was because this female Daoist True Lord, during her seclusion, in complete sincerity, entered a mysterious state of communion between heaven and man. She managed to summon Lady Wei from the Southern Hua City of the White Jade Capital to descend. Lady Wei crossed the world, riding a phoenix straight down, to help Xiangjun destroy the heart-demon and overcome the crisis. Legend has it that Lady Wei even guided Xiangjun on an audience at the White Jade Capital, dreaming of visiting the five cities and twelve towers. But such secret matters have no basis for verification and theoretically couldn't be known by a third party. It's mostly mountain cultivators talking nonsense and grasping at shadows."
It was like when Pei Qian was little at the Fallen Mountain, the old cook would always listen to Chen Lingjun spitting saliva as he talked about mountain secrets—either horrifying or supernatural—and would always undermine him with, "Were you there at the time?"
When Chen Ping'an heard this, he said, "This senior mountain cultivator's divination skills are exquisite. Being able to summon Lady Wei from Southern Hua City is most likely true. Within her heart-image, the Ancestral Hall is empty with no extraneous objects. That's a good thing, indicating her Dao heart is pure. On her cultivation path, she doesn't rely on external things and has no distracting thoughts. But in her heart, the status of her master and patriarch is too lofty, and at the same time, she thinks too little of herself. The combination of these two means her Dao heart is still not tough enough. This is probably the soil for breeding heavenly demons, which is why Lady Wei performed the planchette descent."
Pei Qian, who hadn't thought much about it before, considered for a moment and nodded. As expected, her master was still seasoned.
For someone like Xiangjun, a Daoist True Lord of the Upper Five Realms, if she thought too little of herself, it would indeed be easy for a heart-demon to arise during Nascent Soul seclusion. For example, if it took the form of Celestial Lord Cao Rong or Patriarch Lu Chen, Xiangjun would have absolutely no chance of defeating that heart-demon. On the path of cultivation, overcoming various heavenly tribulations can rely on Daoist techniques, but only when passing the heart-barrier—especially confronting the heart-demon—can one rely solely on a pure and unadulterated Dao heart.
"As for the other two, if I'm not mistaken, one is Wen Zixi from Lingfei Palace. Not old, already at the Golden Core realm. Besides Qi refining, he's also a pure martial artist."
"The other, the old crone, is Xing Zi from the Pure Quiet Peak of the Golden Que Sect. She comes from the Gold Immortal Nunnery lineage. In the competition for the sect leader position back then, she lost to the younger Cheng Qian."
Chen Ping'an laughed. "Wen Zixi? That martial genius nicknamed 'Sir Wen'?"
One of the clones—the old Chen Jiu who worked as a receptionist at the Bamboo Branch Sect in Caijade Mountain—had long heard of Wen Zixi. He was a romantic with countless love debts, with many female friends both on and off the mountain. Rumor had it that when this person traveled the world, he liked to suppress his realm and challenge others to fist fights, with no record of defeat.
Pei Qian felt a bit awkward. "Martial artist, yes. Genius, hard to say."
Pei Qian was indeed slightly uncomfortable. This Wen Zixi wasn't young either. Fifty? Forty? Wasn't he just a Far Travel realm martial artist?
If he was a genius, what was she supposed to be? Could she be a genius among geniuses? What about her master and Cao Ci?
While the master and disciple chatted casually, at the adjacent table, Xiangjun was staring blankly at the skeletal ghost figure dressed like a crane-cloaked scholar.
Her thoughts drifted. She remembered when she was young, having achieved minor success in Dao learning and formed her Golden Core early on. Her master had taught her a true formula that could be interpreted in many ways.
Refine Qi to seek longevity. To make a person not die, first a person must die. Die and then come back to life, thus obtaining a truth.
Could it be that this patriarchal founding master, on this visit to Hehuan Mountain, was requested in private by her master? That he came specially in this posture—similar to a Bone True Man—to point out the path for her, equivalent to teaching a method of immortality?
But last time, when Lady Wei of Southern Hua City descended via planchette, didn't she say that Xiangjun could only ascend to the Immortal realm before she would descend again, giving her the chance to visit Southern Hua City and have an audience with Headmaster Lu?
Headmaster, headmaster—what does headmaster mean? Naturally, it's a Daoist who controls the Daoist affairs of the world who can be called headmaster.
Back then, Lady Wei had taken Xiangjun to ride a phoenix and dream-visit the White Jade Capital. She didn't see Patriarch Lu Chen. Amidst numerous Dao palaces and celestial auspicious scenes, Xiangjun only caught a fleeting glimpse of a middle-aged Daoist in a feathered robe from afar. But the moment their eyes met, Xiangjun immediately woke from the dream. After waking, she suddenly realized she was already in the Jade Purity realm.
Xiangjun naturally didn't dare rashly speak to verify his identity. Thinking it over, in the flash of a thought, she had already come up with more than ten opening lines. But since Patriarch Lu didn't want to show his true face, she had to play along and pretend to be clueless. Striving to calm her heart-lake, she said with a slightly trembling voice, "Fellow Daoist, these words are profound and mysterious, beyond imagination."
Lord Bai, who had indeed been through officialdom, had low cultivation skills but high ability to read people. Seeing the female cultivator's expression of barely concealed awe, Lord Bai began to preen. With just a few words, he had intimidated a beautiful female cultivator of impressive bearing.
Three new guests had arrived in the side hall. Since Steward Yu was busy elsewhere, cultivating connections, the responsibility for entertaining guests in the side hall fell entirely to Yu Yiyou and Yu Rong. Following protocol, they brought three jars of secret-brewed immortal wine.
Xiangjun, as an Upper Five Realms cultivator, naturally wasn't afraid of the fox-spirit Yu Chunzhi tampering with the wine. She just found the wine filthy and didn't touch it. When Wen Zixi raised his glass to drink, he immediately detected the tampering, but he still drank freely, cup after cup. As a Golden Core earth immortal of the Daoist sect and possessing a martial artist's golden body physique, Wen Zixi didn't worry about these underhanded tricks at all. The wine entering his stomach was instantly "burned" and vaporized into mist by a stream of pure true qi that flowed through his body as swiftly as a great river. It was then guided to a remote qi-fu organ, where the pink miasma was completely trapped and sealed. The pure true qi was like a general commanding troops, specially guarding this place, ready to kill the surrendered soldiers at any time.
Since there was nothing better to do, Wen Zixi soon turned his attention to the two Fenwan Manor maidservants, each possessing a different beauty—one slender, one voluptuous. After striking up a conversation, he learned they were granted the surname Yu, named Yiyou and Rongyu. But for some reason, in matters of romantic love, Sir Wen, who had never failed before, was hitting a wall tonight. In their eyes, he seemed like a nuisance at first glance, and when he opened his mouth, he made them frown even more. For the record, Wen Zixi never shortchanged himself. The illusion he had cast tonight made him look like a "handsome young man" from some lowland country, famous for being exceptionally elegant.
The reason was not that they were pretending to be aloof or disliked "good looks," but that in their eyes, the guest's appearance was truly unbearable to behold, as if it made them want to vomit.
Naturally, this was courtesy of Daoist Lu. He had swapped Wen Zixi's appearance and voice in the eyes of Sister Yiyou and Sister Rongyu, making him look "prematurely aged" with thinning hair, yellow teeth, and a voice as grating as grinding stones.
Xing Zi's status was noble. Although she wasn't the current sect leader of Golden Que Sect, the old crone's realm and seniority were on par with Cheng Qian, whose official title was over twenty characters long as the "Nation-Protecting True Man."
When it came to the "ancestors" of their respective Dao lineages, Cheng Qian's Chuiqing Peak couldn't even compare to the ancestral mountain Pure Quiet Peak and the "founding temple" of the Gold Immortal Nunnery.
The old crone was someone who cultivated in seclusion in the mountains, used to quietness. She couldn't stand this noisy and chaotic environment.
If not for accompanying Xiangjun up the mountain this time, she would never have set foot here. Perhaps even if she came up the mountain, it would only be to eliminate demons and uphold the Dao, to vanquish ghosts and kill monsters.
Xiangjun glanced sideways at the adjacent table. A sword-carrying youth at the Qi Refining first layer, a female martial artist, and crucially, a young monk of the Lower Five Realms.
The patriarch indeed had a wide range of friends, caring nothing for their status or cultivation depth.
Chen Ping'an had already roughly explained the inside story and origins of Hehuan Mountain to Pei Qian. Of course, he intentionally withheld part of the truth, planning to test his senior disciple. "What do you think is the crux of whether Hehuan Mountain exists or not?"
Pei Qian didn't need to think much. She blurted out, "It lies with Zhao Fuyang of Yinyun Manor and Cheng Qian of Golden Que Sect. The rest are just icing on the cake; they don't affect the overall situation."
Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "Why do you say that? The old head of the Zhang family in Tiancao Commandery is also a Golden Core. The family also has sword cultivators like Zhang Caiqin and Zhang Yujiao. Can even they be dispensable?"
Pei Qian replied, "Whether the relationship between the Hehuan Mountain region and several nearby courts like Green Apricot Kingdom is good or bad—whether it's peaceful coexistence, tacitly allowing Zhao Fuyang to be a local emperor, or military confrontation—ultimately depends only on the balance of power between Cheng Qian and Zhao Fuyang. Of these two Golden Core cultivators with the best talent and destined for highest achievements, whoever breaks through to the Nascent Soul realm first will end the current stalemate."
Chen Ping'an nodded.
It was like the Shujian Lake back then. The only Upper Five Realms wild cultivator, Liu Laocheng of Gongliu Island, had been missing for many years. Opinions varied—some said Liu Laocheng had long since quietly perished in some ancient Shu secret realm with many sword immortal relics, while others said he had changed his identity in the Central Earth Divine Continent, holding a high position in some sect, cutting ties with his past wild cultivator career. This gave Liu Zhimao the opportunity to later compete for the position of Shujian Lake's lake lord. With his new disciple Gu Can and that water dragon equivalent in combat power to a Nascent Soul cultivator, using the younger disciple's wanton behavior and the water dragon's slaughter, they intimidated the wild cultivators of the lake. Liu Zhimao rose to power from there. Otherwise, just a fellow Nascent Soul like Zhong Su of Huangli Island, plus a few allied island lords, would have been enough to give the River-Severing True Lord a hard time.
Going further back, earlier, with bigger territories—like back in the day in Tongye Prefecture, Tongye Sect's Du Mao was the only Flying Ascension cultivator, while Yugui Sect's Xun Yuan was only an Immortal. This made the mountain structure of Tongye Prefecture very stable.
Even with the tragic state of a continent sinking and mountains shattering, once the war ended, fortunes shifted. Tongye Sect was greatly weakened and had to seal the mountain to recover, while in the south, because Yugui Sect still existed, the old order was quickly restored. New immortal mansions and sects merely filled the gaps.
It was like putting new wine in old bottles.
Looking at the north, Tongye Sect lost its authority, and heroes rose among the mountains. It could be called chaos, or it could be called vitality. Under the leadership of Gold Summit Temple, the Peach Leaf Ferry Alliance was formed.
Then the lower sect of Fallen Mountain, the Green Lotus Sword Sect, emerged and quickly ended this situation through a new alliance, digging a great river to strengthen the new order.
Pei Qian asked, "Master, is it possible—assuming Cheng Qian isn't so aggressive and gives Zhao Fuyang some more time—that this murky Hehuan Mountain region could become something like the Five Islands Sect in Zeng Ye? Level the dangerous passes, widen the mountains and rivers, make the local pure and gentle qi connect like post roads, the yin miasma from thick to thin, the rising and falling of yin and yang from chaotic to stable, gentle winds, humans and ghosts living together peacefully, and Hehuan Mountain gaining recognition from Guanhu Academy? Then it becomes Zhao Fuyang's path to enlightenment, a dragon-rising land, the foundation of a future sect?"
Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded. "That might be the best path. As for possibility, it certainly exists."
Then Chen Ping'an said, "But from the moment I agreed to Zhang Caiqin of Green Cicada Bank and Hong Yangbo to attend the Green Apricot Kingdom crown prince's coming-of-age ceremony, the Liu family emperor, Nation-Protecting True Man Cheng Qian, and the Zhang family of Tiancao Commandery couldn't allow Zhao Fuyang and Hehuan Mountain to continue taking root here. So invisibly, that best possibility ceased to exist."
Pei Qian was stunned.
Chen Ping'an asked, "Given this chain of cause and effect, am I the culprit who killed this possibility? Should I blame myself?"
Pei Qian was depressed, not knowing how to answer.
Chen Ping'an smiled slightly. "Suppose in such matters, there's no need for self-blame. Is it then also improper to blame others? Suppose one should indeed blame oneself, harbor guilt—can one then blame others?"
Pei Qian scratched her face, even more troubled.
But she soon let it go. She would turn around and, slightly rephrasing these headache-inducing questions, ask Cao Qinglang and first hear his answer.
Chen Ping'an then said, "Your ability to peer into others' heart-lake scenes is a technique. This Dao technique itself has no distinction between good and evil. If you can use it well, then you walk upright and straight, and all evils naturally cease."
Pei Qian nodded.
When Little Black Charcoal used to be able to hide under her protection, she was always afraid he'd learn bad things. Later, when he could face the world alone, she was always worried the world was too harsh.
"The Way gives them appearance. Heaven gives them form. If heaven gives and you don't take it, you'll suffer the consequences."
Lu Chen interjected abruptly, "Besides, isn't there an old saying: When a righteous person does evil methods, the evil methods become righteous. When an evil person does righteous methods, the righteous methods become evil."
Chen Ping'an couldn't help but curse, "Bullshit."
Lu Chen, who had been eavesdropping on the master-disciple conversation, quickly took a sip of wine as if to bolster his courage. He downed the cup in one gulp before daring to continue smiling and nodding vigorously. "Right, right. It was indeed poor Daoist's oversight. The same principle—persuading Zhao Fuyang or persuading Cheng Qian—is appropriate. It's persuading one to be good, advising one to let others off when possible. But if used to persuade Miss Pei, it wouldn't work. Since ancient times, only making high aspirations can lead to second-class results. There's no such thing as making second-class aspirations and leading a first-class life."
It was like every inch of time being worth an inch of gold. That reasoning certainly wasn't wrong. Persuading those well-fed scholarly seeds with it is appropriate. But persuading those peasants with their faces to the earth and backs to the sky seems like talking without knowing their hardship.
Daoist Lu poured himself a cup of wine and said to himself, "No wonder, no wonder. That's why we all need to make high aspirations, set principles in our hearts, stand on high ground, find a place to settle. This is what it means to orient one's spirit toward it and seek to emulate the worthy."
Pei Qian said, "My master and Uncle Qi both care deeply about the current people's hearts and right and wrong in this world. Headmaster Lu, you have already attained high Dao and complete virtue, drifting freely like an untethered boat. Do you still care about people outside yourself, worldly affairs, and the rise and fall of the world?"
Lu Chen seemed a bit guilty. "Daoism and the Daoist religion are still quite different."
Pei Qian said, "None of my fucking business."
The young Daoist had just taken a sip of wine, as if choked by Pei Qian's words. He quickly raised his head and covered his mouth, mumbling unclearly, "In Dao cultivation—whether learning fist techniques or refining Qi—it's actually all the same. At the end of the day, it's just 'cultivating oneself.' 'Cultivating' as in mending, 'fixing' as in patching."
"In a book, there's a question and answer: If parents are in danger, and a thief can save them for me, should I feel gratitude? The answer: This is an unprecedented kindness. How can one not feel gratitude? Outside the book, there's another question seeking an answer: Since one should feel gratitude, how should one repay it?"
"Moreover, we are branches of the same tree, sharing one body."
Lu Chen's three statements seemed unrelated: talking about Dao cultivation, discussing gratitude and justice, and using the relationship between you and me to discuss the relationship between me and heaven and earth.
Of course, it could be understood as the White Jade Capital's Headmaster Lu roughly explaining why a cultivator climbs the mountain, pointing out one path of ascent, and the scenery after finally reaching the summit.
It could also be understood as Lu Chen extending the thread of Chen Ping'an's questioning of Pei Qian, making "annotations"—both defending Chen Ping'an's actions in Shujian Lake and further clearing his own name: Pei Qian, in that small town, if I, Lu Chen, hadn't acted as a matchmaker for your master back then, Chen Ping'an would absolutely not be the Chen Ping'an of today. How could you two become master and disciple? Could you be sitting here tonight? If that's the case, if you want to take revenge for Cui Cheng from the Bamboo Tower, don't you need to first repay your debt of gratitude to me, Lu Chen?
Chen Ping'an smiled. Dealing with Lu Chen was both difficult and simple. He had figured out a trick back in his youth: just hold to an "eight-character true saying"—you say what you say, I do what I do. First, Chen Ping'an didn't think Lu Chen was deliberately trying to disturb Pei Qian's Dao heart. Lu Chen wouldn't stoop so low. Moreover, these seemingly profound words, like a bottomless pit, if Lu Chen said them to Cao Qinglang, would probably stir up a storm in his Dao heart. Discussing them with Pei Qian was somewhat pointless. Nevertheless, Chen Ping'an changed the subject, revealing a piece of heavenly secret to his disciple: "Do you know that strange mountain peak you once visited? It was actually located on the celestial fire star outside the heavens. The strange person you saw, the senior who accompanied you down the mountain—he is the First Ancestor of the Military School, who was imprisoned on the fire star for ten thousand years in a state of atonement."
Pei Qian was greatly shocked. That strange expert on the mountain top, who seemed quite amiable in her memory, was actually the First Ancestor of the Military School who had disappeared for ten thousand years? The legendary one who was jointly cut down?
Wasn't it said that the First Ancestor of the Military School had as bad a temper as his Dao magic was high?
Although her ascent and descent of that mountain had been a bizarre journey, and her time with him hadn't been long, she always felt he was easy to get along with. He wasn't fierce.
But the First Ancestor of the Military School—what connection did he have with the martial arts path? Why was he stationed at the peak of martial arts, which seemed to manifest as a high mountain?
This was the tradition of the Bamboo Tower lineage. When Cui Cheng taught fist techniques—from feeding Chen Ping'an punches to later teaching Pei Qian—the old man didn't like discussing matters outside the fist.
As for the First Ancestor's temper and how heavy his punches were, the Immortal Han Yushu of Wan Yaozong, who died from half a punch, was probably clear proof.
Even Chen Ping'an, who as a pure martial artist at the Limit of Qi realm ate the "half punch" from an eleventh-realm martial artist, had a say.
Actually, Chen Ping'an wouldn't have even taken that half punch. It was because Little Black Charcoal, who had always been timid as a child, after breaking through as the strongest martial artist, Pei Qian seemed to have a dream. In that mountain, beside a strange person whose face she couldn't remember but who was very tall, she for once was bold. She thought, since it's a dream, what's there to be afraid of? On the way down the mountain, Little Black Charcoal, imitating the big white goose's arrogant swagger, hopping and jumping, kept throwing punches at the strange person, repeatedly asking him, "Are you afraid? Are you afraid..."
Probably around that time, the First Ancestor of the Military School remembered the little girl's master—a pure martial artist who himself had never reached the mountain peak while his disciple had surpassed the master—and held a grudge against Chen Ping'an.
Lu Chen said with a beaming smile, "Oh my, the main course is finally on the table."
At the mountain gate, the previous tide of creepy insects that had surged toward the Hehuan Tree receded like the tide. Replacing them, in the night sky, white mist, wispy and thread-like, rose from below. This strange white fog—neither earth energy nor mountain miasma—quickly and eerily spread throughout the foot of the mountain town of Fengle, then extended to envelop the entire Hehuan Mountain. Beyond the Yinyun and Fenwan manors, dust and fog filled the sky, making it impossible to distinguish anything even inches away. In addition, specks of golden light lit up brilliantly from the family ancestral hall on the upper mountain of Zhuiyuan Mountain, then suddenly fell from midair to the ground. Small as flowing pellets, they scurried along the ground. The golden light coalesced to the size of a wheel, then suddenly burst and splattered, like rainbows or rosy clouds. The descending golden light tangled with the rising white mist, like a copulating form.
At the same time, the two lords of Hehuan Mountain finally appeared together, attending the banquet and personally presiding over tonight's "marrying daughter and seeking son-in-law" feast. This made the guests heave a sigh of relief. Otherwise, they'd really have to worry that Zhao Fuyang harbored ulterior motives—like colluding with the Zhang family of Tiancao Commandery to wipe them all out in one pot, weigh them by the pound, and sell them to the Liu court of Green Apricot Kingdom.
Yu Chunzhi had already quietly withdrawn the romantic canopy of Fenwan Manor. Those orioles flying like weaving shuttles were also collected. A costly feast of wine had truly been given for nothing.
Zhao Fuyang's expression was grave. As soon as he opened his mouth, it was the worst possible news: "I just received intelligence. The Liu family of Green Apricot Kingdom has joined hands with two neighboring emperors, along with the Zhang family of Tiancao Commandery. They've secretly mobilized troops at various borders, massing forces, and tonight they will launch a major siege on Hehuan Mountain. I believe they are already on the march."
"Because on the roads, a large number of mountain and river gods are helping to clear the way. Setting aside the registered cultivators, just the three elite imperial troops—their advance speed cannot be underestimated. At the latest, by tomorrow morning, they will attack the foot of the mountain at Fengle Town. Before that, any of your cave residences that unfortunately lie on those three routes will be swept clean without effort. If you want to return now to take charge, you may. I won't stop you. But earlier, I left Hehuan Mountain and went to Pomo Peak to meet with Cheng Qian and Zhang Caiqin. The negotiations failed. The other side clearly intends to uproot the weeds and eliminate the roots. They have no intention of making exceptions for anyone."
"They've mobilized such a large force that the Five Marchmount Mountain Lords of each kingdom and all the officially enfeoffed river gods have gone all out. With such a big commotion, not to mention the casualties and losses in the final assault on Hehuan Mountain, just the military expenditure for this expedition is a huge amount of celestial money. Naturally, they plan to recoup it from Hehuan Mountain and from all of you present here. If you think I'm exaggerating to deliberately keep you here, you can go down the mountain now. But I must say the unpleasantness first: going down tonight is easy. Coming back up tomorrow to seek refuge at Yinyun and Fenwan manors will be hard."
The originally noisy banquet halls fell deathly silent, so quiet a needle drop could be heard, except for an occasional inappropriate belch.
This bad news was like a bolt from the blue. After a moment, it exploded like a bomb. All the gathered heroes burst into uproar, talking and arguing. Most were cursing—the Black Dragon Immortal Lord and the burly sixth-realm martial artist pounded the table, cursing Cheng Qian's vicious heart. Others cursed Zhang Caiqin, saying what they'd do if she fell into their hands. Some, like Lord Bai of Wedge Ridge, were stunned speechless. As for Lake Lord Zhang Xiangdao of the Hot Summer Manor and his two companions, they were dumbfounded one by one. Had they forgotten to check the almanac before leaving? One wave not yet settled, another rising—their water palace's dragon palace had already been overturned by that old turtle, and now this disaster added insult to injury?
"Lord Zhao, Lady Yu, are we supposed to just stay here on Wuteng Mountain and wait to be killed? How is this different from drinking the execution wine and stretching out our necks? You are the hosts and the bosses of the entire Hehuan Mountain region. You should take the lead and figure out a way out for all of us!"
"People die, eggs face the sky. Worst case, we fight it out with those damn immortal masters and officials!"
"Strange. The Liu emperor, and those other two who haven't warmed their dragon thrones yet—have they all gotten water in their brains? Someone tell me, what exactly are they after?"
If it's about wealth, in war, the army moves only after provisions are ready. Once war drums sound, it's ten thousand ounces of gold.
If it's about grabbing territory, this thousand-mile radius of Hehuan Mountain is notoriously poor and harsh—a ghostly land. Those who settle here to open caves and camps are either monsters or ghosts, filling the sky with heavy yin miasma and foul air. For wild cultivators, it's manageable—they have ways to extract the spiritual energy. But for mortal commoners—just look at those living in Fengle Town at the mountain foot—how many live long? And those registered immortal masters used to luxury—even if they seize this land, what can they do with it? Delicate golden branches and jade leaves—can they endure this misery? Even as a chicken rib, the various courts and Golden Que Sect, along with mountain and river gods, would have to expel the foul air, hold water-land assemblies, and conduct rituals. However they calculate it, it's a losing business for every kingdom.
Many guests began to speculate: could they be caught in the crossfire because of that bastard Zhao Fuyang? Was there a chance that this lord had secretly done something that angered both heaven and man, provoking the simultaneous fury of several courts like the Liu family? Besides, the Yinyun Manor treasury secretly held three imperial seals that he refused to hand over to the Liu family of Green Apricot Kingdom. If they ganged up to kill Zhao Fuyang and Yu Chunzhi, would that settle things? But those who had this thought soon abandoned it. Setting aside how to kill two Golden Core earth immortals, even if they succeeded by some miracle, dealing with Golden Que Sect's Cheng Qian and Tiancao Commandery's Zhang family afterward would be a huge problem. Just thinking about it gave them headaches. They truly weren't good at bureaucratic talk. Even if they hadn't experienced it, they'd heard stories: those with ancestral halls on the mountain, like the court officials down below, loved to speak in circles and clouds, not human language. Besides, whether the other side would burn the bridge after crossing the river was uncertain. Given the habit of registered immortal masters of saying one thing and doing another behind your back, no doubt they'd do it. Killing a few more of them—what did it matter?
The "Black Dragon Immortal Lord," who had once been a local unofficial water god, frowned, stroked his beard thoughtfully, and then sent a mind voice to Zhao Fuyang: "Lord Zhao, could it be that these various factions are bluffing? Their real intention might be to make us submit without a single soldier, to sue for peace, cede territory, and pay reparations? Besides, the Zhang family of Tiancao Commandery suffered a big defeat at your hands earlier. Through this, they want to save face on the mountain, right?"
His implication was to bet on whether Cheng Qian and Zhang Qiong would know when to stop.
If so, it was negotiable. Cede territory? Just carve out the peripheral mountains and rivers of Hehuan Mountain. Pay money? Tonight, Hehuan Mountain had several well-endowed cave manors with deep treasuries.
He remembered there was a river god in the Dali vassal kingdom of Huangting, not ranked high on the gold jade register, but he had said a popular golden saying: "Better that the Daoist friend die than the poor Daoist."
Zhao Fuyang replied via mind voice: "To be honest, Cheng Qian and Zhang Qiong have huge appetites. They're determined to wrap us up like dumplings and eat us. They don't much care if it burns their mouths."
If wild cultivators act without restraint, disregarding all reason, can the strategic calculations between nations be said to have any moral justice?
Tang Kun, the demon king from the Ape Path, had green veins bulging on the backs of his hands and arms, trembling like earthworms. He drained an entire pot of immortal wine, then smashed the pot viciously on the ground, shattering it. He let out a fierce laugh: "We just need to occupy Hehuan Mountain, follow the orders of the two lords, and happily kill those so-called orthodox gods and immortals!"
But in his harsh words and bold declarations, his heart thought: he had an old friendship with a new mountain god who had recently received official recognition from a kingdom's court. They often drank together. If the battle started tomorrow morning at Fengle Town, could he switch sides? He didn't dare hope to kill a true immortal like Zhao Fuyang, but if he found an opportunity to kill someone like Li Ting, could he trade it for wealth and status? With his friend's recommendation, could he get some court to offer him a position as a Dharma-protecting mountain god under some small kingdom's mountain lord?
Zhao Fuyang stood at the center of the surrounding corridor, moving his feet, cupping his fists, and bowing to the various guests. Then he continued in a loud voice: "Everyone, don't panic. Allow me to explain one by one. First, everyone is wondering why they chose now to encircle us at Hehuan Mountain. The reason is actually simple. The Liu emperor of Green Apricot Kingdom and the Nation-Protecting True Man Cheng Qian, to ensure the crown prince can smoothly inherit the throne in the future, invited a sufficiently heavyweight guest for this coming-of-age ceremony. As for exactly who this person is, according to a piece of intelligence I just obtained, there are temporarily two theories. One is that Cheng Qian traveled to Southern Stream Kingdom and persuaded some founding patriarch of the Divine Revelation Sect to descend the mountain for the ceremony. Another theory is that an expert from the Jiang family of Cloud Forest is willing to attend. I speculate that whoever it is, they may have privately proposed a condition: that the Liu court of Green Apricot Kingdom or Golden Que Sect must eliminate Hehuan Mountain."
Lu Chen couldn't help but laugh, teasing via mind voice: "Aside from not being bold enough, Lord Zhao's theory has no flaws. Reasonable, well-founded."
Chen Ping'an also couldn't help laughing: "And Zhao Fuyang isn't just spewing nonsense. Even if it reaches the ears of Divine Revelation Sect and the Jiang family of Cloud Forest, they probably wouldn't see it as slander but rather as a compliment."
The old crone asked via mind voice, "Patriarch Xiangjun, is what Zhao Fuyang said true?"
Xiangjun thought for a moment. "It's probably not without basis. That Cheng Qian and Zhang Qiong could invite some patriarch from Divine Revelation Sect isn't too strange."
Back in the battlefield of the Dali capital Luojing, Cheng Qian and Zhang Qiong had both earned military merits.
Wen Zixi crossed his legs, leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head. Without using mind voice, he lowered his voice slightly, his face full of sarcasm, and said lazily, "Some big shot from the Divine Revelation Sect's ancestral hall? A direct descendant of the Jiang family of Cloud Forest? Why not just bring out Zhu Huang of Zhengyang Mountain or He Huang of Wind Thunder Garden as sword immortals?"
The old crone smiled. "Mountain Lord Zhu Huang has her own troubles. She probably doesn't want to descend the mountain. The word 'ceremony' is a bit jarring to the sword cultivators of Zhengyang Mountain. This motley crew at Hehuan Mountain aren't fools; they wouldn't believe that. As for Sword Immortal He Huang, I heard he's already gone to the Wild Continent battlefield. Indeed a hero, admirable."
Both were sword immortals, even if Zhu Huang was a realm higher than He Huang of Wind Thunder Garden, from the old crone's tone, it was clear she held Zhengyang Mountain in contempt while genuinely admiring He Huang.
Wen Zixi curled his lip. "Since we're scaring them, why not bring out the Old Ancestor of Wind Snow Temple? If that won't work, cut to the chase—doesn't our Bao Ping Province still have a Hidden Official? Wouldn't that be even more fun?"
The more he thought about it, the more interesting it became. The young Hidden Official came from the Sword Qi Great Wall, which had been killing for ten thousand years. Wasn't it most fond of killing demons?
Tonight at Hehuan Mountain, ghosts and spirits were roughly half and half. Would half of them be scared shitless just hearing the word "Hidden Official"?
Wen Zixi turned his head because he sensed that at the adjacent table, the girl with a bun and freckles was looking at him with an expression between a smile and a smirk.
Not a bad-looking girl, but sharp-eared. Wen Zixi smiled and nodded to her in greeting, then said to himself, "If I were Zhao Fuyang, I'd definitely use the Hidden Official. That way, no matter how divided and scheming everyone in Hehuan Mountain was before, they'd have to unite and fight tooth and nail to carve out a bloody path. Otherwise, falling into the hands of that young Hidden Official surnamed Chen from Fallen Mountain—just use your ass to think—from Zhao Fuyang at the Golden Core level to the patrol little minions, everyone, every single one, who would get off easy?"
Xiangjun had been carefully observing the expression of "Lord Bai." From the corner of her eye, she saw the young monk grinning broadly, giving Wen Zixi a thumbs up.
Wen Zixi, grinning mischievously, cupped his fists in return to the bald monk. "Flattery, flattery."
Pipa Madam, whose cave was called Celestial Sound Grotto, received a mind voice instruction from her boudoir friend Yu Chunzhi. She then asked a question that was actually crucial but that almost no one had thought of: "May I ask, Lord Zhao, Fellow Daoist Yu, during this expedition, are there any gentlemen or worthies from Guanhu Academy supervising and recording?"
This question, thrown out in public, instantly silenced the several halls again. No one even dared to breathe.
Zhao Fuyang smiled. "The blessing in the misfortune: I can be certain this encirclement is not a decision of the Academy."
Pipa Madam used mind voice to ask Yu Chunzhi, "Really no Academy involvement?"
Yu Chunzhi smiled. "Rest assured, no. Think about it—if there really were Academy gentlemen or worthies mixed up in this, what could my husband and I do except surrender?"
Pipa Madam breathed a sigh of relief. Indeed, in the Hehuan Mountain region over the years, there had been internal strife. To put it bluntly, it was just ghosts eating ghosts, dogs biting dogs. Otherwise, how would the surrounding courts dare to secretly recruit mountain spirits or unofficial local deities under the watchful eyes of Guanhu Academy? Wasn't it because they felt the Academy wouldn't heavily punish them for such small matters?
Otherwise, if it truly was the Confucian Academy's intention, there was no need to think. Just wait to die.
The Academy's rules nowadays weren't as lenient as before. For example, it was like the Dali Song court, which once ruled an entire continent. They had used an iron fist and bloody measures to completely ban all unofficial shrines across the continent. Often, Dali's enshrined cultivators didn't even need to act. Local civil officials of vassal kingdoms, holding a decree from the Ministry of Rites of the suzerain state, could make the gods of unofficial shrines voluntarily move their spirit tablets and be forced to migrate elsewhere. Because before that, there were precedents. Those mountain and river gods who dared to violate the prohibition—regardless of their former identity—all had their golden bodies shattered. And that wasn't all. Mountain gods were sunk into water, water gods were buried in mountains, leaving only a sliver of divinity, eternally unable to turn over, in a pitiful state.
Even now, how many old deities in the southern kingdoms of Bao Ping Province, sunk underwater or buried in mountains with only a thread of divinity left, still couldn't have their cases overturned, forever unable to see the light of day?
When they "complained" to the Dali Ministry of Rites or the Court of State Ceremonial, those two offices wouldn't even bother to reply.
Even if some kingdom's emperor personally wrote a letter to "report" to Guanhu Academy, the vice principal now in charge of mountain and lowland affairs would at most reply with "will discuss further" or "pending."
In recent years, why did several southern kingdoms—risking the attention and enmity of the northern Dali court—want to push over the stone tablets on their own mountain peaks?
There were both kings acting on pure emotion to restore their kingdoms and emperors purely after profit, wanting to restore the golden bodies of certain unofficial deities to help gather and stabilize their kingdom's mountain and river qi.
Inside the flower hall, Lake Lord Zhang Xiangdao suddenly asked, "Is there an informant among us?"
These words stunned those guests who had been planning to shamelessly leave the mountain. They cursed internally, hating the Lord of Baihua Lake for his loose tongue.
Lu Chen laughed and teased, "For these ghosts, monsters, and unofficial deities, isn't their current predicament a bit like the last time at Mount Top Moon?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. When Lu Chen didn't mention it, he hadn't thought about it. But now it was indeed very similar. Suffering an unprovoked disaster, without warning, with no escape.
Lu Chen turned his head and asked, "Brother Bai, do you think this battle will actually happen?"
Bai Mao's expression was complex. He nodded.
Lu Chen asked doubtfully, "Why is that? Any basis? Couldn't it be all thunder and no rain—a false alarm?"
Bai Mao said bitterly, "You don't understand. Nowadays in Bao Ping Province, especially in the areas south of the great river near the center, every kingdom's armory has varying quantities of weapon stockpiles. Their origin is unusual. Back then, to fight the barbarian demons from the Wild Continent, the Dali Song court mobilized thousands of mountain cultivators and alchemists. Almost all talisman-refining Qi refiners below the earth immortal level worked day and night to create countless weapons and armor. Every piece used mountain casting or talisman techniques. The vast majority were used on the battlefields of the southern and central great river of the continent. But some were left for the vassal kingdom courts. These mountain artifacts were naturally extremely precious."
"But there's a problem. They have a time limit. Talismans—once activated, it's like opening a door. Closing it again is difficult. So many spears, knives, and swords—piling up like mountains in the Ministry of War's warehouses—would eventually become ordinary weapons. After the war ended, the vassal kingdoms hid these by various means. The Dali court officials were busy with many affairs and limited in number, so they couldn't cover everything. There were inevitably omissions. Especially after the southern vassal kingdoms gradually restored their independence, it became awkward to pursue the matter. Some southern courts sold them through various mountain channels at high prices to even more southern restored kingdoms, profiting enormously. It's said that the southern courts either used them directly on the battlefield or, more often, via several cross-continent ferries, sold them at exorbitant prices to Tongye Prefecture—not just doubling the price. The enormous profit from this can be imagined."
"But soon, the southernmost Academy in Bao Ping Province began to investigate. Especially when a certain Academy in northern Tongye Prefecture had a vice principal named Wen. Shortly after he took office, this source of profit between the two continents was completely cut off. Forking Kingdom, Colored Clothes Kingdom, and other former vassals closest to the great river—being too close to the Dali capital Luojing—dared not engage in such profiteering overtly. Green Apricot Kingdom probably wasn't much better off. The Liu emperor was thin-skinned, so various talisman armors and weapons must have piled up."
"Thus, the kingdoms around Hehuan Mountain dared not sell them. Were they supposed to let them collect dust in the Ministry of War's warehouses? Since they had no use for them, they just happen to use us for military drills."
Lu Chen looked as if he suddenly understood.
Bai Mao had hit the nail on the head. Truly someone who had been an official.
It was like when Chen Ping'an got that Day-Night Traveler True Form Talisman from Li Baozhen back in the day. After using it once in Shujian Lake, the talisman's spiritual energy began to leak. With Chen Ping'an's skill at the time, he couldn't stop it. Later, at the Cliff Academy in Great Sui, he asked Mao Xiaodong to help "close the door"; otherwise, that high-grade talisman would have gradually lost its spiritual energy and eventually become a piece of scrap paper.
When the old crone heard this, she gained a new respect for the crane-cloaked scholar, who was clearly a ghost. Though low in realm, he had some insight.
Zhao Fuyang continued: "Green Apricot Kingdom is for face. They must fulfill their promise to that expert from Divine Revelation Sect or the Jiang family of Cloud Forest. The Liu emperor might as well go all out. He promised the other two emperors to let them divide the Hehuan Mountain territory. The Liu family of Green Apricot Kingdom yields everything. But the three parties secretly signed a mountain oath—all revenue from plundering the various cave residences outside Hehuan Mountain goes to the Liu family. After capturing Hehuan Mountain, the other two kingdoms can divide the spoils freely. The Liu family won't interfere, won't touch any of the treasuries on Zhuiyuan and Wuteng Mountains. Therefore, the entire Hehuan Mountain region—including me, Zhao Fuyang—without exception, we are all meat on the chopping board."
Lu Chen said with a sigh of admiration, "According to Zhao Fuyang's way of calculating, it seems more effective at mobilizing and uniting people than Cheng Qian's proposal."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "Headmaster Lu, why do you insist on making things so hard for your own disciples and disciples' disciples?"
Lu Chen had clearly given Zhao Fuyang two huge problems in succession.
First, he used a branch to suppress the entire Hehuan Mountain, preventing Zhao Fuyang from coiling the mountain and breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm. This caused Zhao Fuyang, who could have raked in a huge profit and made Cheng Qian lose badly, to fail at the last step.
That was already a dead end.
Not stopping there, Lu Chen called Xiangjun of Lingfei Palace to sit here, tying Zhao Fuyang's hands, making it hard for him to use some ruthless underhanded methods.
Lu Chen looked embarrassed. "Can't say that. Not quite."
Wen Zixi naturally couldn't hear Lu Chen's words. This Master Wen just propped his legs on the wine table, indolent and lazy, smiling. "Truly, Lord Zhao Golden Core has worked hard thinking all this up."
Xiangjun's expression suddenly changed. When she looked at Bai Mao again, her gaze was completely different.
Zhao Fuyang said calmly, "Heaven never seals off all roads. There is a way to break the deadlock. It just depends on whether you all are interested in hearing it."
Pei Qian, as an outsider, was somewhat curious at this point.
Chen Ping'an said, "Not hard to guess. Secretly send word to the other two kingdoms to slow down, letting only the Green Apricot Kingdom army arrive at Hehuan Mountain earlier. Zhao Fuyang sits at Hehuan Mountain, drives the mountain people to fight to the death with Cheng Qian and the Zhang family of Tiancao Commandery. Of course, the premise is to first part ways with Cheng Qian; negotiations with the Liu emperor failed. At the same time, Zhao Fuyang secretly promises the other two kingdoms to yield all territory and assets, leaving only a solitary Hehuan Mountain, willing to continue entangling and checking the Liu family of Green Apricot Kingdom, Chuiqing Peak of Golden Que Sect, and the Zhang family of Tiancao Commandery. After this battle, all of tonight's guests at Hehuan Mountain can be handed over to the Ministry of Rites and Ministry of Justice of the two kingdoms for disposal. Once Zhao Fuyang catches his breath, he'll find an opportunity to cut off the tail and escape, forcibly stopping the mountain-coiling process, carrying the mountain away with Yu Chunzhi and company. He needs only to find that border cave where he set up the formation, hide in the capital of Green Apricot Kingdom. Zhao Fuyang won't rush for revenge. Most likely, he'll flee all the way to Tongye Prefecture, patiently wait until he breaks through to the Nascent Soul realm, then return for a revisit and cause trouble for Chuiqing Peak's Cheng Qian and the Zhang family of Tiancao Commandery."
Atop Pomo Peak.
Celestial Lord Cao Rong was using the Three Mountains Talisman for the first time. Upon arriving here, besides his master, there was an unexpected person.
Cao Rong performed a bow first. "Cao Rong pays respects to Master."
Lu Chen nodded.
Chen Ping'an cupped his fists and smiled. "Greetings, Celestial Lord Cao."
On the battlefield of Old Dragon City, this reclusive Daoist from White Frost Dynasty had shone brilliantly with remarkable military merits.
In particular, Cao Rong's trump card magical technique had protected the entire Old Dragon City princely mansion.
Cao Rong had once offered a landscape and flower-bird album. Among its four landscape paintings were stamped the private seals of the three headmasters of White Jade Capital: Great Headmaster Kou Ming's "Dao Scripture Master," True Invincible Yu Dou's "First in Literature, Second to None in Martial Arts," and Master Lu Chen's "Stone Until Now." Crucially, there was also a seal of Sun Huaizhong of Xuan Du Guan, who was widely acknowledged to be the most at odds with White Jade Capital: "Peach Blossoms Bloom Again."
The other four flower-bird album leaves were obtained by Cao Rong through his own mountain connections and friendships.
Talisman Yu Xuan's "Startling Everyone with a Single Cry." Dragon Tiger Mountain Zhao Tianlai's Dharma seal "Young Phoenix."
Additionally, Fire Dragon True Man and Embroidery Tiger Cui Chan. One engraved "Chirping and Chattering Without Stop." One signed with a "White Eye."
Back then, Cao Rong had torn out the first four pages, adding four Dharma robes and four layers of heavenly formation restrictions to Old Dragon City, which housed a Dali princely mansion.
Cao Rong made a Daoist salute and smiled. "Honored to meet Mountain Lord Chen."
As a genuine accomplished Daoist, he naturally had an air that walked unique beneath heaven.
When the Bao Ping Province war ended, he had wiped his hands and traveled far. After touring several continents, Cao Rong had just returned from Flowing Xia Continent. There, an ancient mansion secret realm had appeared around the same time as Bao Ping Province's Autumn Wind Temple and the sea's Night Sailing Ship. Within it was a dragon vein formed by a chain of mountains, like a river suspended in the air flowing. The Grotto Heaven of the Sky Corner's Grotto Lord Shu, together with his Dao partner, entered to seek treasures—after all, it was a mysterious place known as "The Land of Immortality," enough to make even immortals envious. Then Cao Rong ran into them. They had a dispute, and the result was that both sides withdrew from the secret realm.
Lu Chen's face was full of bitterness. It seemed that even his own disciple had more face than he did.
Lu Chen said, "Cao Rong, send a secret decree to Xiangjun. Tell her that I have already left the Hehuan Mountain area. She can do as she pleases from now on."
Cao Rong saluted again. "Respectfully obeying the decree."
After all, Lu Chen was not only his master but also one of the headmasters of White Jade Capital.
"White hairs worry people, growing in this hair."
Lu Chen patted his disciple's shoulder, sighing, "Cao Rong, you're old too."
Cao Rong lowered his head and said, "Your disciple is dull. I've labored seeking the Dao for three thousand years yet still cannot achieve cloud-lifting flying ascension. I am ashamed before my master's teachings."
Lu Chen comforted him, "No matter, no matter. Master and disciple both share the same failing—we both rely on our own masters' faces to travel the world."
No matter how steadfast Cao Rong's Dao heart was, with an outsider present, hearing this made his old face redden.
"Since the Way gives them appearance and Heaven gives them form, naturally one must capture the mountains and waters outside the painting before sketching them."
Lu Chen put his hands in his sleeves, raised his head to look towards Hehuan Mountain. "The weather of old days has changed the human world. The mountains and rivers have changed, but the weather of old days remains."
Shifting his gaze slightly upward, Lu Chen was silent for a moment, then said, "Chen Ping'an, remember to tell Pei Qian. Everything her eyes see, the people and things she remembers, don't let the quantity exceed the limit. It's not that what she thinks she's forgotten is truly forgotten. The mind and spirit are not one."
If one corresponds to the five elements with the organs: the lungs store the corporeal soul, the liver stores the ethereal soul, and the heart stores the spirit.
And Pei Qian seemed able to forget whatever she wanted and remember whatever she wanted. This appeared to be a trick she had mastered since childhood—a talent beyond reason.
Chen Ping'an nodded. "I've already spoken to her about this."
Lu Chen turned to look at Chen Ping'an. After a moment, Lu Chen said nothing, just raised his head again to look at the sky.
Who knows what person gave what person a bamboo slip, on which was written: "Mountains and waters repeat."