Chapter 1034: Clear After Rain

Chapter 1034: Clear After Rain

Chen Ping'an and Lu Chen walked side by side along the alley of the village that sat in the middle. One wore a thousand-layer cloth shoe, the other a pair of cotton ten-direction shoes, their footsteps rustling like leaves falling to the ground.

Passing by a house, a mongrel dog in the courtyard startled awake at the sound of footsteps and barked wildly toward the gate. Nearby dogs joined in, but soon everything fell silent again.

During this, Lu Chen leaned over the wall and let out a few dog barks of his own, then raised his hand as if tossing a stone. The mongrel in the courtyard whimpered, tucked its tail, and curled up.

Lu Chen shook his sleeves and quickened his pace to catch up with Chen Ping'an, who had slowed to a stop at the alley mouth. Rubbing his hands together, Lu Chen said, "Though it's only human nature to guard against hunger every year and thieves every night, there's really no need for you lot to be on guard against this poor Daoist and Mountain Master Chen. Don't you think so, Chen Ping'an?"

Chen Ping'an replied, "Sect Leader Lu, by all means, keep gliding gold leaf onto your own face. As for my end, there's no need at all."

Lu Chen suddenly grinned and said, "In this world, one dog barks at a shadow, and a hundred dogs bark at the sound."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Among the people of this world, one person speaks a lie, and a thousand people pass it as truth."

Lu Chen clapped his hands in approval. "Excellent! We could have a pair of wooden couplets with black characters on a gold background, properly mounted. When I get back, I'll have them framed nicely and placed in the Observing a Thousand Swords Studio, with both our names signed on them. It'll be quite amusing."

Chen Ping'an chuckled. "If you're willing to lose that much face, I don't mind."

Lu Chen rubbed his hands and sighed. "A night wanderer can refrain from doing evil, but he cannot stop the dogs from barking."

Chen Ping'an didn't respond. Remembering something, he said, "In Yu Prefecture, on the mountain where that Vinaya school temple is located, there's a mountain lord who has listened to the morning bells and evening drums for many years but has still been unable to refine his form. Could I trouble Sect Leader Lu to offer some guidance?"

Lu Chen agreed cheerfully, raising a hand. "A small matter, a small matter. Just like that."

A lift of the hand was all it took.

They left the village and came to the main road connecting the three villages. Lu Chen stood by the bank, gazing at the water, looking at his reflection. He sighed. When one held up a mirror and looked at oneself, was that truly oneself? Was it the original appearance?

Earlier, when Chen Ping'an had spoken of "collating texts," Lu Chen's reaction might have seemed a bit exaggerated, but the words had truly struck a chord within him. He felt a deep resonance.

But hidden within this was a problem that could be either big or small. Later generations of book readers often mistook certain finely collated editions for the original, unerring base text. Errors were passed down as truth, and as time passed, the meaning drifted ten thousand miles away from the original.

For cultivators climbing the mountain path, knowing they were seeking the Dao and realizing the Dao, it was nothing more than the pursuit of "knowing the reason why." Walking the path in the darkness, the scenery along the way would align with one's own state of mind.

Lu Chen, with a touch of melancholy, said softly, "I once went to meet Sun Guan's junior brother and his disciple. I met them both, and I talked with them. After talking, I realized something: their thoughts conflicted with those of the Dao officials of the White Jade Capital."

Chen Ping'an crouched by the roadside, picked up a few pebbles, and gently tossed them into the stream. "Is it that the vast majority of Dao officials in the White Jade Capital believe that cultivation is the path of Daoist magic, something sublime? But that master and disciple pair from the Xuan Du Temple feel that cultivation can be the path of roads, something ordinary?"

Lu Chen grunted in affirmation, not finding it strange that Chen Ping'an had guessed the answer. He was silent for a moment, then rubbed his cheeks. "Let things be as they are. I won't trouble myself over nothing."

Even if the sky fell, there was still his senior brother Yu Dou, who had seen great sights, to hold it up.

Chen Ping'an stood up, and the two continued walking toward the lowest village. Lu Chen said smugly, "Earlier, in the scroll of time, Ning Ji actually changed his mind twice. He didn't want to be your student and planned to run away to cultivate the Dao with me in the White Jade Capital. So tonight, when Ning Ji said he would remember the kindness and repay it later, it was you he was speaking to, not this poor Daoist."

Chen Ping'an asked, "Was one of those times when Ning Ji learned about his background and didn't want to cause me trouble?"

Lu Chen nodded.

Perhaps in this world, there was a kind of self-imposed suffering called putting oneself in another's shoes, always thinking of others.

As Chen Ping'an had guessed, after Sect Leader Lu had explained the truth to Ning Ji, the boy with the tragic background was filled with terror, his face pale and bloodless. He fell into a great panic on the spot. After a long silence, he seemed to feel that he was nothing but a cursed troublemaker, an unlucky jinx wherever he went. Whether it was the Daoist Wu Di or the teacher Chen Ji, once they established a master-disciple relationship, it would bring them a lot of unnecessary trouble. In the end, it would surely be better to go with the White Jade Capital's Sect Leader Lu, who could... shoulder the burden.

So, in a fit of exasperated amusement, Lu Chen simply poured out everything like beans from a bamboo tube, telling Ning Ji all of Chen Ping'an's various identities. This gave the unsettled boy a reassuring dose of certainty and changed his mind. So Young Master Chen was already so accomplished despite his youth.

Which made Sect Leader Lu even more annoyed. He had stepped out of the scroll of time with the boy and teleported across three continents, showing him over a dozen people: first Pei Qian, Chen Ping'an's founding disciple; then the River-Cutting True Lord of Book Basket Lake; some old sword immortals of Zhengyang Mountain; the nearby Jade Liquid River Water God Lady, who had been determined in recent years to relocate her shrine; a bride in a blood-red wedding dress; a young flood dragon that had become enlightened and refined its form after eating a snake gallstone, later attaching itself to the Yunlin Jiang Clan; he also went to the Locked Cloud Sect in North Jambudvipa... and finally, a certain collapsed True Lord who had just returned home not long ago.

Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "The second time Ning Ji changed his mind, was it after learning my true identity and considering me a half enemy?"

Lu Chen shook his head. "Though Ning Ji hasn't seen much of the world, some of his views are simple without being naive. That kind of personality is both innate and refined through hardship, like medicinal herbs being boiled into medicine."

A person's sharp and distinctive character was like an imperial palace, layer upon layer of deep chambers. Even during sunlit daylight, there were countless shadows.

Brilliance and talent stood like a Wenchang Tower; hatred of evil stood like a City God Temple. Open-mindedness or cheerfulness was like a pavilion, open to the wind on all sides.

Depression was like falling into a bottomless well, dark and sunless, alone with oneself, cut off from the world, unable to escape.

Lu Chen actually had another sentence he didn't say out loud: just as certain wealth in the world was meant for certain people, in the same way, it was natural and proper for you, Chen Ping'an, to take on Ning Ji as a disciple, and for Ning Ji to become your student.

Chen Ping'an didn't ask for the specific reason behind the boy's second change of heart. He only asked, "So in the end, why did Ning Ji make up his mind and choose to become my student?"

Lu Chen probed, "Can you first promise that if we talk, we'll discuss things amicably? A gentleman uses words, not fists. And even if fists are used... don't hit the face."

The Hidden Officer Chen had a reputation for using underhanded means in his fist fights, especially going for the face. Ever since that dispute between green and white in the Confucian Temple, his fame had spread far and wide. It was probably known to mountain cultivators across several worlds. The Dao officials in the Blue Sky World might still be puzzled—could a martial grandmaster really fight like that? But over in the Five Colors World's Ascension City and the Barren Wilderness World, they would probably each praise him respectively: "That's the Second Shopkeeper for you, always making sure he doesn't lose money in a deal." Or: "That's the Hidden Officer Chen, the boss of the Summer Resort."

Chen Ping'an smiled gently. "Between friends, we can chat about this and that as we walk. No matter what we talk about, I won't get angry. Besides, I can't beat Sect Leader Lu in a fight."

If it hadn't been for that second sentence, Lu Chen might have actually believed him.

Lu Chen first sidled away from Chen Ping'an, then said hesitantly, "I showed Ning Ji your true appearance."

In the village school, the teacher Chen Ji had also taught the *Classic of Filial Piety*. And the very first chapter of that book declared, "Body, hair, and skin are received from your parents. Dare not injure them—this is the beginning of filial piety."

So, while Chen Ping'an was explaining this passage, Lu Chen pointed at the boy's forehead and opened Ning Ji's heavenly eye, letting him see Chen Ping'an's visage.

Neither human nor ghost. Before breaking through to the Immortal Realm, Chen Ping'an would not be able to reshape his true body and regain a normal human appearance.

Chen Ping'an laughed. "What's the big deal? Let Ning Ji see it if he wants."

Lu Chen sighed in relief. "It's your private matter, so I had to tell you."

But Lu Chen had only told half the truth.

What truly made Ning Ji decide to follow Chen Ping'an was that after showing the boy those people who were "avoiding" Chen Ping'an, Lu Chen had also taken Ning Ji to see a few people and events that Chen Ping'an had once faced—or still dared not face directly. The most crucial point was Chen Ping'an's heartfelt agreement with the principle: "Repay grievance with virtue—then with what do you repay virtue? Repay grievance with uprightness, and repay virtue with virtue."

This lifted a heavy burden from the shoulders of the boy with the tragic background.

But all of Ning Ji's sights, experiences, and thoughts—this entire mental journey—Lu Chen later withdrew all those "memories," as if the boy had returned them one by one to Sect Leader Lu.

When they reached the lowest village, Lu Chen smiled and suggested, "Why don't we go take a look at the ruins of that terrestrial dragon palace? Quietly there, quietly back. It's just sightseeing, not interfering with anyone."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Alright."

For so many years, Chen Ping'an had maintained the habit of writing travel journals.

Then, with a single step, they were instantly transported into the green mountains and clear waters of that dragon palace realm. Outside, it was night, but here it was bright as day. There was no sun hanging in the sky, yet it was still bright. Several tall mountains in this secret realm each had ancient steles erected at their bases. Two peaks stood facing each other, with steles at their feet inscribed with "Cloud Root" and "Rain Foot" respectively. At the summits, there were other stele inscriptions: "Clouds gather and scatter like flowers blooming and withering" and "Rain illuminates the Golden Mountain."

The mountains rose high, and one peak towered above the rest. A great river passed by its foot. But Lu Chen did not take Chen Ping'an there. Instead, he led him to the foot of an unremarkable low mountain and said with a smile, "A long time ago, I once passed through here and climbed this mountain without disturbing anyone. I felt then that it was a geomantically blessed spot where one could become an immortal, realize the Dao, or attain Buddhahood."

Halfway up the mountain, they came to a deep pool of jade-green water, so deep its bottom was invisible. Lu Chen pointed at the pool, as flat as a mirror, and explained, "This is the true entrance to the old dragon's separate palace. The Great Li court is still completely in the dark about this. If you don't give them a heads-up, it might take decades, centuries, or even longer—until the imperial surname changes and the last Emperor of the Great Li Song Clan dies—before they realize that they and their ancestors, who thought they had entered a treasure mountain and possessed it, were actually picking up sesame seeds and losing watermelons."

"Times have changed. Back then, when the local dragon king was first banished and his dragon qi was still strong, whenever a storm was brewing, white clouds would rise and shroud this mountain like a bamboo hat. The courts of several nearby kingdoms used this to divine the weather, and it never failed. During severe droughts, the local people would come here to pray for rain. As long as they saw a lizard slither out of the pool onto the shore, they could head home. Moments later, the rain would follow. During floods, they would come to beg the dragon king to stop the rain. As long as a small snake on the shore entered the water, the heavy rain would inevitably cease."

"Every year on the sixth day of the sixth month, besides commoners drying their clothes and scholarly families airing their books, there was also the practice of drying the dragon robe. On that day, by coming to watch the 'sunbathing' earth snakes and lizards by the pool—whether there were a mere three or five, or over a dozen—each count clearly indicated the rainfall for the entire coming year. Knowing whether the year ahead would be drought or flood, one could make preparations beforehand."

Lu Chen smiled and asked, "Want to go into this separate dragon palace and investigate?"

From ancient times until three thousand years ago, among the mountains and rivers of the Haoran World, any dragon or flood dragon that had achieved cultivation—especially dragon kings who could open mansions—loved to hoard and secretly store all kinds of worldly treasures. This separate terrestrial dragon palace could be considered a vault of treasures, something like the old dragon's "private savings."

It wasn't that Lu Chen looked down on the Great Li court's Astronomical Bureau and geomancers. Rather, in the ancient land of Shu, sword immortals were as numerous as clouds, and they often liked to use dragons and flood dragons to forge and sacrifice their swords. So any terrestrial dragon palace that managed to establish itself here had real skill—they were no vegetarians. Unless Chen Ping'an leaked the heavenly secret, the successive emperors of the Great Li Song clan, with the insight and methods of those geomancers, would never be able to open this separate palace's restrictions. And if they forced the restrictions without a powerful expert overseeing it—for example, if Wei Bo's purified golden body hadn't reached the Ascension Realm—it would only invite a calamity like a huge tortoise turning over its back, causing the mountains and rivers of Chu Prefecture to collapse, killing countless people, and damaging the entire Northern Marchmount territory's landscape and qi.

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "Forget it."

We scholars should be as clear as the wind and bright as the moon. One should act with some sense of face.

He hadn't come here to open a school with the dragon palace ruins in mind. If Chen Ping'an had really wanted this secret realm, given his cultivation level, even if he couldn't break all the restrictions himself, he still had Xiao Mo, didn't he? And Xie Gou, that money-grubber?

Lu Chen said, "If we find something, fifty-fifty split?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head again.

Lu Chen said, "Thirty-seventy, I take thirty, you take seventy?"

Chen Ping'an said decisively, "Let's go!"

As a burden-bearing scholar, he had to learn more from Mountain Lord Wei's moneymaking methods. Not only had Wei Bo hosted several night tours, but he would also pluck a few feathers from any iron rooster that passed through the Northern Marchmount territory.

Lu Chen stood by the pool, raised two fingers, closed his eyes, and began murmuring an incantation. It sounded like a Water Evasion Spell.

Mist rose from the pool, and gradually a vermilion gate studded with rows of nails appeared on the water's surface. It was majestic, with a white jade stele and hitching posts outside. The stele's content roughly warned visitors to stop. Those holding invitations should dismount if they were emperors or generals in the mortal world, and swords immortals in the mountains must unbind their swords outside the gate. They were not allowed to travel by cloud, mist, or wind. If someone intruded rudely, they should kowtow first and then retreat, and their lives might be spared.

Lu Chen laughed. "The master of this temple has quite a big mouth."

Chen Ping'an asked, "Did you figure out what's roughly inside?"

Lu Chen shook his head like a rattle-drum and complained, "What fun is it to know the scenery before you've even climbed the mountain when you're out exploring?"

Chen Ping'an said, "Let me correct you. We're not here to visit immortals in the mountains. We're here to seek wealth and treasure."

Lu Chen grinned. "More or less the same. We've traveled the world together—even gone to the Barren Wilderness heartland and Tuoyue Mountain. There's nowhere in the world we can't go. Even if there's an accident, it'll be a pleasant surprise. What's there to fear?"

Chen Ping'an was momentarily speechless. Lu Chen's reasoning wasn't entirely unreasonable.

When they stepped inside, a blinding white light filled their vision—a sudden, overwhelming storm of sword light covering heaven and earth.

Chen Ping'an stopped, standing perfectly still.

Observing the sword light's trajectory, it was indeed the style of a sword cultivator starting from the Upper Five Realms.

But with Sect Leader Lu by his side, Chen Ping'an appeared oblivious, as if he were simply waiting to be killed.

Lu Chen looked as dumb as a goose, even stretching out his neck like he was offering it for execution.

The dazzling sword light that filled the world flashed and vanished. The sword energy, however, did not immediately dissipate, and the killing intent remained thick, piercingly cold. Lu Chen shivered and rubbed his eyes. At the far end of their vision stood a barefoot man with disheveled hair, a face like jade, holding a wine cup in his hand, lying sideways on a dragon throne. Seeing the two uninvited guests, the host seemed both puzzled and disappointed. Puzzled—how could Qi refiners who managed to enter this place be so useless? Disappointed—after so long without seeing a living person, were these two just chance visitors who stumbled in by luck?

The handsome man, wearing a crown and dragon robe, asked calmly, "What year is it now in the world outside?"

The young Daoist asked nervously, "What's he saying?"

The blue-robed man answered cautiously, "It's probably an ancient Shu dialect. Can't really understand."

"We've run into a tough nut. What do we do?"

"How about you kowtow a few times to this senior first?"

"That wouldn't be good, would it?"

"What's not good? You can never have too much courtesy."

"Wouldn't be bad if it worked. Just afraid it might backfire."

The man on the dragon throne had withdrawn his overwhelming sword energy at the crucial moment earlier. He still hadn't sat up, only squinting at the two who had broken into his secret realm. Their inner scenes and cultivation levels were laid bare before him.

As for the muttering of those two clowns, the dragon-robed man didn't care. He swirled the wine cup in his hand and sneered, "If you don't understand what I'm saying, then you must at least recognize the words on the stele outside the gate, right?"

Chen Ping'an seemed to have his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, playing dumb. But that didn't stop him from communicating with Lu Chen via "thoughts," not through the means of Qi refiners—no ripples in heaven and earth's spiritual energy, not even a ripple on the surface of their mind lakes. With Lu Chen's Daoist methods, these thoughts moved like fish swimming swiftly beneath the water, invisible to those on the shore.

"Is he the master of the dragon palace? Or a sword immortal born from a flood dragon?"

Dragon and flood dragon species were not easily enlightened and refined in form; becoming a sword cultivator was even rarer.

"Is he the old master here, or an intruder? Hard to say. But his identity as a sword cultivator is real, and he's been stuck at the Jade Marrow bottleneck for years. His background is complicated—he seems to be a heroic spirit whose soul didn't scatter after death. But somehow he managed to convert his dragon qi into pure yang qi, making him almost indistinguishable from a living person. Of course, of course—this must be the work of that Senior of Pure Sun!"

The Daoist named Pure Sun, Lü Yan, before traveling to the Blue Sky World, had briefly visited the mortal realm and left behind many immortal traces. Unfortunately, none of them had been widely circulated or become well-known stories.

For example, Lü Yan had taught fire magic to a group of old dragons in the Sun Palace, stepped on a carp into the sea at Caishi River, rode a wooden crane from a tower, and soared to the stars as an immortal.

Chen Ping'an was slightly surprised to find a Jade Marrow bottleneck sword cultivator hidden here. Could it be that he had been hiding here for a long time to avoid the dragon slayers?

"No matter. A small well can't have a big fish, and a small hillside can hardly produce a towering tree. This is just a terrestrial dragon palace after all. A master here wouldn't have exceptionally high Daoism or swordsmanship. Nothing too strange. Hmm, that wine cup looks a bit familiar... This trip isn't wasted. Not wasted at all."

"A gentleman does not take what others cherish. I'd advise you not to be so unscrupulous."

At the Sword Qi Great Wall, there had been five 'Wine Spring Cups' in history. Sun Juyuan, Yan Ming, and Qi Tingji each had one. This item was a favorite of all drinkers in the world.

Since there was already a sword cultivator cultivating here—whether he was the old master who hadn't moved in a long time or an outsider who had arrived first—Chen Ping'an lost interest in exploring the dragon palace's treasures.

But then the sword cultivator, who was already a ghostly being, said something that made Chen Ping'an decide not to leave immediately.

"You're an academy disciple from the Confucian Temple? Your Confucian scholars say that the great learning lies in making virtue bright. Since there's a 'great learning,' of course there's a 'lesser learning.' Reading begins with recognizing characters—their forms, sounds, and meanings—these are inescapable studies. Since you were able to enter this place, you're no ordinary village Confucian who only knows a little writing. If you recognize the ancient seal script on the stele outside, why are you playing dumb before me? Or do you take me for a fool?"

Lu Chen began to distance himself, raising one hand. "Senior, as you've probably already noticed, I'm a Daoist."

The man sat up, twisting the priceless wine cup in his hand, leaning forward with narrowed eyes and a smile. "Little Daoist, so you can understand human speech now?"

Lu Chen was instantly embarrassed.

Chen Ping'an could only admire him.

Sect Leader Lu's acting skills were impeccable.

The man asked, "Is the dragon gate leading to the Yellow River Paradise still there?"

Lu Chen nodded vigorously. "It's still there, still there! Right beside the ancient Lingqiu, a solitary city amid ten-thousand-fold mountains, next to the White Emperor City amidst the rainbow clouds."

The man scoffed. "'Rainbow clouds hang like leaves on Lingqiu, Daoists have their yellow dust devoured by the horse head.'"

Chen Ping'an had never heard this saying before, but he recalled a thought from Lu Chen, which conveniently explained the true meaning. "Before the White Emperor City was built, the site was an ancient battlefield not recorded in history books. It was called Lingqiu, extremely tall and steep, and rainbow clouds hung like leaves on tree branches. In ancient times, Daoist immortals among the terrestrial transcendents often went there to build thatched huts and cultivate, waiting for an immortal opportunity that no one knew was real or illusory. It was said that because my master had once appreciated the moon there, the Dao aura became heavier in that area. But the Daoists who flocked to Lingqiu seeking opportunity were as numerous as carps crossing a river. None succeeded. Countless Daoists, unwilling to return empty-handed, either left their mortal shells behind through dissolution or died and turned into piles of bones. Later, Bai Ye split the Yellow River Paradise with a single sword stroke, bringing that waterfall into the human world, adding boundless water transport to the Haoran World. And even later, Master Zheng took it into his collection."

Hearing this anecdote, Chen Ping'an understood why Zheng Juzhong had asked that question.

Lu Chen bowed and said, "May I ask the senior's Daoist name?"

The dragon-robed man laughed. "My Daoist name is 'Restless Lord.' Has it been passed down in the outside world?"

Lu Chen nodded. "Senior, rest assured. From today onward, the Daoist name 'Restless Lord'—with its excellent connotations—will spread far and wide!"

The Restless Lord sword immortal laughed grimly, his expression desolate, waving his hand. "The heavenly materials and earthly treasures in here—take what you can carry. But no more than three items. As for the quality of the treasures, you'll have to judge with your own eyes."

After saying this, the dragon-robed man seemed to be teasing. "Wealth moves people's hearts. Don't start fighting over the spoils before you leave. Since I've told you my Daoist name, you should know that I prefer peace and quiet in my cultivation. So take your fights outside."

By all rights, the two outsiders who had stumbled upon this place should have been overwhelmed with gratitude.

But they encountered an incorrigible rogue who defied all logic.

The young Daoist, full of down-at-heel air, stared straight at the wine cup.

The older scholar in a blue robe beside him began sizing up the dragon throne.

The dragon-robed man laughed. "Don't get too greedy. I'm giving you the time it takes to burn a stick of incense to find your treasures."

Chen Ping'an was a little puzzled. Was he being this easy to deal with?

Lu Chen explained with a smile. This guy's talent for cultivation was mediocre. He had reached the Jade Marrow realm through external means. So every mountain, river, pavilion, tower, flower, and tree in this place had become a burden to him. This place was both his sanctuary from disaster and a blessed land, yet also a forbidden land that had become a prison he couldn't leave. The more we take away, the fewer burdens he carries. But he worries that if he's too easygoing, we'll grow suspicious and refuse to leave with the goods. Three items per person, not too few, not too many—just enough to let him build a bridge to the outside world.

Chen Ping'an made a guess. Had he almost completely refined everything in here into himself?

There wasn't much left.

In a sense, could that be considered a kind of Dao transformation?

Barely. The technique was rather crude and wouldn't hold up to scrutiny. He was far inferior to the Refining Lady of the Green Ditch Pit.

But since he wanted to escape so badly, and instead of using Upper Five Realm methods—like seizing souls or refining us into puppets—could we consider him sufficiently kind-hearted?

He must also be suspicious of our true cultivation levels and our backing, worried that we might be advanced Daoists like the Pure Sun Immortal who don't like to reveal their powers. Of course, for ordinary Qi refiners who had been imprisoned so long without losing their minds, that was already rare. They would have struck long ago. Killing us and either borrowing our corpses to return their spirits or using water evasion techniques to hide in our meridians and qi and blood—they would definitely have tested our cultivation depth.

Seems like the Daoist name 'Restless Lord' wasn't taken in vain.

After all, he's a fellow local, maybe even given by Senior of Pure Sun.

The dragon-robed man looked up at the sky, his expression complicated, and said self-deprecatingly, "Year after year, nothing ever changes. I've long since resigned myself. 'Cold and silent, the thousand ages pass empty. I've judged my life: if not dead from drunkenness, then dead from slumber.' But still, my heart is uneasy. I wonder if Heaven will permit me."

Lu Chen smiled faintly. "The reason Senior Restless Lord thinks this way, cannot see through the sky of this dragon palace, cannot break through the bottleneck of the Jade Marrow realm, is naturally that his field of vision is too narrow. 'One who looks from the south does not see the north.'"

Though his words addressed him as "Senior," the content was that of a superior instructing an inferior—as a guest, it was quite rude.

The dragon-robed man, instead of being angered, laughed with a sly look in his eyes. "Daoists nowadays have rather big mouths, don't they?"

Lu Chen stared straight at that flood dragon and let out a soft sigh. Truly, the hearts of parents are to be pitied. They had set up this cultivation ground for him.

In this cultivation ground, the total amount of landscape qi and spiritual energy had clearly been calculated by a master. It was enough for him to reach the Jade Marrow realm, extend his lifespan, and maintain a spark of true spirit without dispersing, but not enough to let him break through to the Immortal realm and leak his aura, thus giving away his location. Flood-dragon species, on their path of cultivation, either walked through water or coiled around mountains. So this descendant of the dragon line was destined to remain stuck at the Jade Marrow realm. He had to be patient, relying on some inscrutable heavenly will, waiting here in bitter expectation for someone fated to open the door. At the same time, he would have enough opportunities to learn about the outside world. That was why, when he saw Chen Ping'an and Lu Chen, his first question was about the state of the outside world. In the end, he wanted to confirm whether the dragon-slaying campaign had truly ended.

Lu Chen couldn't help but remark, "Every parent who loves their child plans for the long term."

Chen Ping'an looked around. The cultivation ground within the secret realm was like a field that had been tilled repeatedly. He believed the old dragon had once left behind some secret techniques and scriptures here.

With "plowing and reading" as the foundation, that was a long-term plan.

Lu Chen nodded. That made sense. Scholarship and farming were the same: only ask about the plowing, not about the harvest.

The dragon-robed man's eyes burned with intensity. "Relax. Each of you take your treasures. But as payment, you must answer one question: in the ancient Shu region, has a dragon palace been rebuilt?"

The blue-robed man nodded.

The young Daoist shook his head.

The dragon-robed man slapped the armrest of his chair heavily and snorted coldly.

Then the two bastards looked at each other, silently blaming one another with their eyes. Have you been missing a brain cell since you were a kid? Did you get your head caught in a door?

The young Daoist seemed to fly into a shameless rage and chose to smash the pot entirely. He let out a sudden roar, stood on one leg like a golden rooster, and pointed two fingers together at the dragon-robed man. "At worst, you're just an earthly immortal water flood dragon! So what? I've seen plenty of dangerous situations! Today, I'll fight you to the death! Little evil flood dragon, this Daoist will teach you a lesson with my thunder magic! Let's see if your water magic can match up!"

Then the "Dragon Gate realm" Daoist and the "Golden Core realm" water flood dragon began a heated exchange, each showing off their skills. It was like a chess match between equal opponents, flashy and exciting.

Chen Ping'an had already retreated far away to give them space and avoid being caught in the "crossfire."

The dragon-robed man stopped his attack and laughed. "Interesting. A Dragon Gate realm Qi refiner, is it? Little Daoist, tell me, how did you manage to fool even me?"

Even as he spoke, suspicion churned in his heart. Were the Qi refiners of the Vase Bottle Continent really this powerful now? Which sect or temple did this guy come from?

The young Daoist's legs were trembling slightly, but he didn't lose face even though he might lose the fight. He laughed loudly. "It takes a fight to know a friend! Brother Restless Lord has excellent skills!"

"I won't take anything from here. There's still a vacancy for a water god at the Iron Talisman River Water Mansion now. Since we agreed on a thirty-seventy split before, then in three hundred years, I'll come back and lead him to the Blue Sky World, where he can cultivate for another seven hundred years. It'll also serve as a protective talisman for this water flood dragon. Otherwise, once he gets outside and hears that Immortal Lord Chen has just emerged from seclusion not long ago, he'll be scared right back here, afraid to show his face. If he continues to waste time here, within a hundred years, he'll either scatter his soul or turn into a fierce ghost. A nice dragon king's separate palace will become a gloomy haunted house. One mistake and the entire dragon palace site will suffer. If he loses his intelligence and remains a Jade Marrow realm bottleneck sword immortal, unless you personally intervene or let Xiao Mo make a trip here to kill him, he'll cause chaos in this region. Won't he still end up being forcibly suppressed by Wei Bo?"

An ordinary person might have asked, "Is this your idea of a thirty-seventy split?"

Chen Ping'an just nodded. "So be it."

The dragon-robed man asked, "Which immortal mansion's ancestral hall enshrinement do you two belong to? Which two masters' disciples are you?"

Lu Chen shook his head. "Enshrinement? Neither. Our cultivation isn't high enough. We're still lacking seniority. We're not even qualified to be inner disciples, let alone enshrined. This poor Daoist and my Daoist friend Chen here both come from sects of middling size. For example, Chen's mountain is called Fallen Mountain, not far from here. Brother Restless Lord can go there and see for himself. As for Daoist friend Chen, his Dao level used to be the same as mine."

The dragon-robed man was once again uncertain. Were these two just outer disciples of their respective sects?

Lu Chen turned to look at Chen Ping'an, who was walking slowly toward him. "Daoist friend Chen, would your mountain sect be considered... second-rate here in our Vase Bottle Continent?"

Chen Ping'an walked up to Lu Chen and smiled. "Barely. The kind that's at the bottom of the second-rate and the top of the third-rate."

Lu Chen smiled and asked, "May I ask your esteemed name?"

The dragon-robed man hesitated for a moment, then said, "Bai Deng."

Chen Ping'an said, "To tell you the truth, it's been three thousand years since the end of the dragon-slaying campaign."

Lu Chen added, "On our way here, we were bringing wine and rushing through the rain. I imagine the sky has cleared up outside by now."

The dragon-robed man, calling himself Bai Deng, slumped in his dragon throne. His expression was caught between laughter and tears as he murmured, "Three thousand years. Three whole thousand years."

Chen Ping'an smiled and asked, "Brother Restless Lord, how did you manage to survive three thousand years alone here?"

Bai Deng came back to his senses and smiled faintly. "Our family has a Daoist scripture passed down from our ancestors. The concise words hold profound truths, wonderfully ineffable. The book says, 'Let the eye look at the eye, let the ear listen to the ear, let the mind restore the mind.'"

Lu Chen chuckled.

A stir went through Chen Ping'an's heart, and he silently committed this truth to memory.

Bai Deng waved his hand, issuing a silent dismissal.

Lu Chen waved back, his smile bright. "Brother Restless Lord, we'll meet again if fate allows."

Leaving the old dragon's separate palace, Lu Chen said with a smile, "I've talked with that mountain lord. He had a moment of enlightenment and has already succeeded in refining his form."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Thank you."

"No need for courtesy between friends."

Lu Chen said with some guilt, "Seems like we didn't gain anything. A wasted trip."

Chen Ping'an dismissed it with a smile.

Lu Chen clasped his hands behind his head, ready to descend the mountain. He glanced back at the deep pool. "Back to the schoolhouse?"

At the Sword Qi Great Wall, the Second Shopkeeper of that prosperous wine shop had made a good bit of money from selling liquor. Add to that the handful of nearly clean-sweep bets where he played the dealer, and the partnership with Fatty Yan's shop selling seals and fans.

But all the immortal money he had earned was quietly and secretly given away. What he got from the sword cultivators of the Great Wall, he returned to the sword cultivators of the Great Wall.

How to earn money was the way of dealing with the world. How to spend money was the foundation of being a person.

So Lu Chen didn't need to guess to know what Chen Ping'an would do if he found something worthwhile here.

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Let's head back."

But for some reason, neither of them moved.

They were silent for a moment, then almost simultaneously spoke.

"This poor Daoist finally understands why you named yourself 'Chen Ji.'"

"Lu Chen, you're actually a sword cultivator too, aren't you?"

Again, neither spoke.

Lu Chen was the first to break the silence, smiling as he asked, "Chen Ping'an, let's say—hypothetically—I really were a sword cultivator. Could you guess the name of my flying sword?"

Chen Ping'an asked in return, "Autumn Down?"

Lu Chen had a *Discourse on Swords*, and his private studio in the Jade Pivot City of the White Jade Capital was named Observing a Thousand Swords. And in the *Essay on Equalizing Things*, which the Old Scholar greatly admired, Lu Chen had a line: "Nothing in the world is greater than the tip of Autumn Down."

Lu Chen's eyes gleamed. He struck his palm with his fist and exclaimed, "What an excellent name! Then this poor Daoist will take ten thousand steps back—it's decided!"