Chapter 1048: This Landscape is a Thieves' Den

Chapter 1048: This Landscape is a Thieves' Den

Xie Gou felt she had to speak up for Chen Ping'an. "Why isn't Wei Bo being stubborn today? When it comes to our mountain master, he's all iron bones and resistance, but the moment he sees these scholars who have some background, he turns his coat. Clearly, he's siding with outsiders!"

Piyun Mountain and Luopo Mountain were close neighbors, just a few steps apart. Not much could happen at the Northern Peak Mountain Lord's Estate that could be hidden from Xie Gou, who was always wandering around there whether she had business or not. So she knew about Wei Bo's self-proclaimed divine title "Spiritual Marsh." She also knew that Chen Ping'an had advised Wei Bo against it, but to no avail.

Xiao Mo smiled and said, "When you meet someone you truly admire and revere, everything becomes easier to discuss. Even the most stubborn person will stop being bullheaded."

Zhu Lian once said there were only three possibilities for getting someone to listen to advice: either they receive guidance from someone they consider a strong figure or a benefactor; or they go through personal experiences, encounter some matters, take detours, suffer hardships, and realize they have to change certain habits or principles; or they read books.

The former depends on luck, the latter on fate and wisdom. So more often, it's the second situation that forces one to think things through.

Xie Gou laughed cheerfully. "Lord Wei's objects of sincere admiration—there can't be dozens of them, right?"

Xiao Mo replied using heart-to-heart communication, "Not that exaggerated. Probably only a handful."

He had once heard Old Master Zhu talk about Lord Wei's life story. There were many tales. Wei Bo came from a prominent aristocratic family. The Wei clan had the reputation of "living by Yi Water for six hundred springs," a scholarly family with flourishing literary grace and enduring incense offerings. Wei Bo himself had been a high-ranking official in his lifetime, and not relying on ancestral blessings or taking the shortcut of the "official quota" through the imperial examinations to enter officialdom. Instead, he took the fiercely competitive—not just intense—"civilian quota," won first place, achieving the triple crown, and step by step rose to the center of the imperial court. Ultimately, he received the posthumous title "Wen Zhen" (Literary Uprightness) and was posthumously appointed Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent. After death, Wei Bo became a guardian spirit protecting the region, received official recognition from the court, and eventually ascended to the position of the foremost Mountain Lord in the ancient Shu region's Divine Water Nation.

In terms of self-cultivation and moral conduct, Wei Bo most admired the Great Master of the Literary Temple. In scholarship and writing, he worshipped the "Dragon of Ci Poetry," Master Xin. In dealing with people and worldly affairs, he esteemed the swordsman A Liang, who came from the Second Sage Manor. In military strategy and martial prowess, it was a certain god of slaughter whose position in the Martial Temple had been repeatedly demoted due to flaws in his achievements. But when it came to versatility and mastery of all arts, it had to be the noble son of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, who was right next door... Zhu Lian.

Xie Gou communicated via heart-to-heart, "The mountain master's airs are so grand, yet today he didn't even receive the guests in his true form. That's not right, is it? Scholars hold grudges and hate it most when their peers put on airs."

Xiao Mo explained, "It happened to be the start of the school term, so the Great Master had already informed the young master from the foot of the mountain that he didn't need to take leave just to welcome them. Teaching was more important than receiving guests. The Great Master didn't want to put the young master in a difficult position. At the time, Master Jujing even joked that as a teacher running a school, you can't have the first instance of asking for leave."

Xie Gou nodded. "If all scholars were like this, it would be hard for the world not to be peaceful."

She suddenly exclaimed, "Hey!" and asked belatedly, "Xiao Mo! How come you can hear the heart-to-heart voices of Daolin and Lihou, but I can't hear a single word?"

The burly man with a high crown and an iron sword hanging at his side looked up at the young girl-like sword cultivator Bai Jing.

Xie Gou understood in her heart and immediately felt so angry her teeth itched. She adjusted her sable hat, raised one arm, and made a provocative motion of patting her arm with her palm.

Wasn't it just one failed sword duel, no clear winner or loser? Could one hold such a grudge?

Xiao Mo laughed and said, "That wasn't really a sword duel. You scattered a torrent of sword qi rain over the convoy of the Supreme Sage Master. The result was that you drew your sword and immediately sheathed it and ran away. Could Zhou Guo not be furious?"

Xie Gou pouted. "If he could catch me, then we could have a proper sword duel."

Xiao Mo's face darkened.

Xie Gou immediately realized she had said something wrong, stirring up some painful memories for Xiao Mo. She, the culprit, quickly admitted her fault. "This kind of sneak attack is really not honorable, not glorious. I need to change. I'll definitely change in the future."

The group slowly ascended the mountain. Lihou was the first to speak. "Mountain Lord Chen, with Luopo Mountain as the upper sect, now including both registered cultivators and pure martial artists, has the number exceeded a hundred?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "The number hasn't exceeded a hundred. Even if we add the registered guest elders listed in the Jise Peak Ancestral Hall registry, to be precise, it's actually less than fifty. Because of the publicly declared mountain closure, I believe the increase in members will be relatively limited for the next twenty to thirty years."

Lihou smiled. "With so few people, pulling off such a big business is truly not easy."

Chen Ping'an said humbly, "Beating a drum before Thunder Gate, making a fool of oneself."

Min Wen laughed. "The Hundred Sword Immortal Seal Manual and the Two Hundred Sword Immortal Seal Manual—Jujing secretly keeps ten sets of each. He considers them rare commodities worth holding onto for a good price."

Lihou said, "All bought through friends in the mountains. Mountain Lord Chen, do you have any spare seal manuals on hand? They must be the first edition, first printing from the Yan Family Bookshop on the Sword Qi Great Wall."

Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "I only kept two copies myself."

If he had known they would be so valuable back then, he wouldn't have let the craftsmen and engravers at the temporary bookshop set up by the Yan family rest. Not bringing back tens of thousands of copies would mean Mountain Lord Chen the pack-rat was unqualified.

Lihou said regretfully, "It's a pity it's a seal manual, without printing blocks."

If there were printing blocks, let alone engraving a few hundred or thousand copies, what difficulty would there be in printing a million copies?

Zhou Guo finally spoke. "I flipped through two volumes of the seal manual. The seal impressions and texts related to the local customs and people of the Sword Qi Great Wall, as well as the seals custom-made for the native sword cultivators—whether it's the seal script or the edge inscriptions, the content of these two types of seal impressions is very good, truly excellent. But beyond that, it's pure patchwork and miscellany. In the eyes of true scholars and epigraphy masters, it's hard to get a high evaluation."

The implication was that the fame outweighed the substance. Ultimately, the seal manual's reputation and popularity in the Haoran World were built on both the Sword Qi Great Wall and the title of the last Hidden Officer.

Zhou Guo said calmly, "These are things that Xiang Ji should have said. But he has a certain recognition of your character, so I doubt he would have said it directly. That's why I had to be the villain."

Min Wen nodded with a smile. "Since he has a personal bias, he naturally wouldn't want to be too harsh on Mountain Lord Chen."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "The sages of old have already revealed the crux of the problem in poetry: 'The most taboo in writing is the patchwork of a hundred schools; the dragon robe's magnificent patterns are unknown to the world.'"

He paused for a moment, then continued, "In the pursuit of learning, I never attended a school. I had no family foundation from childhood. Later, I was always traveling, practicing martial arts and swordsmanship, never daring to slack off. I didn't spend much hard work on moral essays, so I can't claim to have entered the hall. Fortunately, the sword cultivators over at the Sword Qi Great Wall didn't care much about that."

As long as the sales were good on the Sword Qi Great Wall and people were willing to pay, a few compliments over drinks were enough. As for the good or bad reputation of the seal manual in the Haoran World, what did that have to do with him?

Because the group climbing the mountain hadn't used heart-to-heart communication in their conversation, everyone sitting in a row like sparrows on the higher mountain steps could hear the casual talk on the path.

Wei Wenlong, the god of wealth of Luopo Mountain, who had arrived after hearing the news, was now flushed with excitement, repeatedly muttering to himself, "It's truly Master Jujing, it's truly Master Jujing..."

Zhang Jiazhen, also an accountant, was perhaps calmer because his hometown was not in the Haoran World.

Perhaps the only "clever one" on Luopo Mountain who didn't yet know the identity of these scholars was Chen Lingjun, Elder Chen, who prided himself on the notion that "if he weren't a bit dull, he would have been killed with one punch long ago."

That said, Fellow Daoist Jingqing had indeed seen great storms. After all, he had already met the Three Teachings' Patriarch in Huaihuang County. Had there ever been any lack of proper hospitality?

Chen Qingliu smiled. "Not bad, not bad. Hard words softly spoken, a needle hidden in cotton. Your reading hasn't been in vain."

For an ordinary scholar, facing these accompanying sages who had stepped out from the portraits hanging in the Literary Temple, just being able to speak without trembling or stumbling would already be considered quite an achievement.

Nuanshu was a bit nervous, instinctively grabbing her skirt. Unlike Chen Lingjun, who might have only set foot in the Literary Temple once or twice in his life, she recognized the true identities of these scholars at first glance.

"No need to be nervous. This is what's called 'the sages first oppose and then agree; the masses first agree and then oppose.'"

Zhu Lian comforted her with a smile. "If we're talking about scholars in this world who act upright and speak with a conscience, our mountain master definitely counts as one. What is there to fear?"

Chen Qingliu said, "I heard that Old Cook, you are proficient in all eighteen martial arts. Your staff technique must be better than your swordsmanship and spear technique?"

A staff sweeps a wide area. Zhu Lian's flattery here both praised his own mountain master and spoke well of "Zhengduan" and "Xiangji," the two personally transmitted disciples of the Supreme Sage Master.

Zhu Lian leaned forward, clasped his hands in a bow to the man who had slain dragons, and said, imitating his young master, "Beating a drum before Thunder Gate, making a fool of oneself."

Chen Qingliu communicated via heart-to-heart, "There are only four accompanying sages here. The enfeoffment of the five sacred mountains in Bottle Gourd Continent requires five people. Who else hasn't arrived today?"

Xin Ji'an said, "I'm not too sure either."

Unless something unexpected happened, according to the plan, Zhou Guo was supposed to preside over the enfeoffment ceremony for the Northern Peak Piyun Mountain. Great Master Daolin would be responsible for the enfeoffment of the Central Peak and the promulgation of the divine title. According to the ritual system of the Literary Temple, the status of the Central Peak was supposed to be slightly higher than the other four peaks. Of course, it was also possible that the two would swap roles. The key would depend on how thick-skinned Lord Wei was, or whether Mountain Lord Chen was willing to mediate and help Wei Bo persuade the Great Master to stay at Piyun Mountain.

Chen Qingliu said, "I believe Lihou and Chen Ping'an must get along well privately."

On the one hand, both were accountants who knew how to make money. On the other hand, both spared no effort in their admiration and defense of their respective masters. Most importantly, both were willing to apply what they learned beyond the study halls and sage texts, investing energy in the mortal world.

Sure enough, Zhou Guo nodded. "If the Sword Qi Great Wall were like our Haoran World, it would have fallen long ago. Before we came, we heard the Master say that the Old Sword Immortal once gave a final assessment of the Sword Qi Great Wall: the reason it could stand for ten thousand years was that the root of its learning lay in five words—'it is not Haoran.' Therefore, the Sword Qi Great Wall doesn't need to learn from the Haoran World, and the Haoran World can't learn from the Sword Qi Great Wall."

Chen Ping'an's expression was strange.

Forget it, forget it. He had moved so many books himself, and the Old Sword Immortal plagiarizing him once wasn't a big deal.

Zhou Guo laughed heartily. "If you had only humbly spoken nice words to us, gone against your heart, and agreed with everything, that would have been disappointing. You need to know that Wen Sheng's standards for choosing his personally transmitted disciples have always been high, truly a source of pride. Now selecting you as his final disciple, Old Scholar might have lost his integrity in his later years. I imagine when the Old Sword Immortal chose you to enter the Summer Resort, the objections couldn't have been small. The sword cultivators might not have dared to question it openly, but there must have been plenty of grumbling and complaints. Fortunately, Mountain Lord Chen did not betray the words of the two seal manuals and the identity of the last Hidden Officer."

After saying this, the man with the high crown who had once followed the Supreme Sage Master across the world and traveled to many states turned his head and asked with a smile, "Senior Brother?"

The cotton-robed scholar, whom Wei Bo respectfully addressed as "Great Master," nodded and smiled. "After all, it is being cultivated and refined, and then becoming a gentleman. When I return to the Literary Temple, I will make a suggestion on this matter."

Chen Ping'an, as the final disciple of the Wen Sheng lineage, wasn't even a worthy yet. The flowers were blooming beautifully inside the wall, but their fragrance was only known outside. Wasn't this making the Hundred Schools of Thought laugh?

Seeing Chen Ping'an's hesitant expression, as if he wanted to decline, Zhou Guo said bluntly, "If you really don't want to be a gentleman, you can go discuss it with the Ritual Sage."

Chen Ping'an was momentarily speechless.

To avoid becoming a gentleman of an academy, he would have to make a special trip to visit the Ritual Sage?

He figured even his master, who was partial to him, would have to scold him a few words.

Chen Qingliu said gloatingly, "Scholars are so fussy. Someone hands them a gentleman's title on a silver platter, and they still act coy, unwilling to accept it. If it were me, forget gentleman—even if they gave me the position of the Literary Temple's patriarch, I'd take it without a second thought."

As soon as he heard his friend badmouthing his master, Chen Lingjun was immediately displeased. He jabbed his elbow into Chen Qingliu's shoulder. "Aren't you also a scholar? Farting in bed and cursing people!"

Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment, then used heart-to-heart communication to say something he had held in for many years. "The rumbling thunder, day and night without cease. Great Master, you have worked hard."

The common folk often say that justice lies in the hearts of the people, and that the common folk have a scale in their hearts. Such sayings may seem empty, but for this scholar who was the first in the world to have a destiny name, they were anything but empty. On the paths of the mortal world, within and outside books, in every word and deed, all the good and evil that stemmed from a single word or action—for the Great Master Daolin—were vividly clear before his eyes and resounded clearly in his ears. The sound was like the countless common folk of the world, the endless carriages and horses on the roads, traveling day and night without cease, the noise as loud as thunder.

The cotton-robed scholar wore a water gourd at his waist. This was not meant to show off his identity to the world, but rather an external manifestation of his "Dao."

It was highly possible that the amount of water in the gourd represented the depth of benevolence in the world.

Of course, these were just Chen Ping'an's guesses.

The cotton-robed scholar smiled. "To be neighbors with the Dao, my heart is willing as if tasting sweetness."

"In my personal view, the 'leopard's transformation' of a gentleman has three stages: the first change reaches worthiness; the second change reaches sagehood; and the third change reaches the Dao itself."

"Content in poverty and delighting in the Dao, I imagine Master Qi felt the same. So for some things—whether it's a sage's unyielding sense of duty or a hero's requiting of grievances—just go ahead and do what you feel must be done. But in your state of mind, don't be too tangled up. I believe Master Qi wouldn't want you to let your Dao heart become stagnant and hinder your cultivation."

Chen Ping'an nodded.

The scholar suddenly asked, "Chen Ping'an, what do you think of the Second Sage's teachings?"

Chen Ping'an spoke slowly. "Let me just say, 'In poverty, maintain one's own integrity; in prosperity, benefit the whole world. When actions fail, seek the cause in oneself.' Just these two sentences alone are absolutely worthy of being passed down for ten thousand generations."

"And more."

Obviously, you're not going to get away with just one sentence to brush this off.

If you didn't want to say good things about me, I wouldn't have used this to test you.

Seeing that Chen Ping'an seemed stumped, he smiled and said, "Let me ask a less vague and more specific question. Why don't you briefly share your views on the Debate on the Willow and the Debate on the Turbid Water?"

Chen Ping'an said, "Before I answer the Great Master's question, let me first state a few of my personal opinions."

"'The difference between humans and beasts is slight.' Without the Four Beginnings of the heart, humans become inhuman. Qi-refining cultivators who climb the mountain to cultivate must understand this truth even better than ordinary people."

"But 'Even a child knows to love its parents; when it grows up, it knows to respect its elder brother.' I don't agree with this view. The Second Sage overlooks the influence of family, clan, and local customs on a person's upbringing, and ignores a person's innate instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm."

"There is only one sentence that, in my opinion, shows the profound intention of the Second Sage, the one and only sentence that sounds like the words of an immortal on the mountain: 'What the heart agrees upon...'"

At this point, the cotton-robed scholar smiled and did not let Chen Ping'an continue. "Stop right there."

The Great Master neither said it was right nor wrong.

Chen Qingliu stood up. For some reason, he suddenly missed his Senior Sister Xie.

Among his several disciples, Senior Sister Xie was most partial to Liu Daochun, the one with the dullest mind. She had little to say to Zheng Juzhong.

That eye-catching pink Daoist robe was probably the meeting gift Senior Sister Xie gave to Liu Daochun. She also gave him a glazed pavilion as his Dao field.

Perhaps because of this connection, Chen Qingliu was also a bit more partial to the younger disciple, now called Liu Chicheng.

Liu Chicheng was only the youngest disciple. Chen Qingliu had not yet taken on a final disciple, but Liu Chicheng always considered himself as his master's final disciple.

Final? You call that a door-closing. You call that a door-blocking.

Chen Qingliu sighed softly. This mountain had many flowers and trees, but it was lacking some peach trees. Over at Peach Leaf Lane in the town, the peach blossoms bloomed in shades of deep and light red, never lonely.

In another year, if I were the Green Emperor, I would have the peach blossoms bloom together with the lotuses.

Earlier, Chen Qingliu had asked for two calligraphy scrolls. The one left for Luopo Mountain was an excerpt from an old lyric with the tune name "Shui Diao Ge Tou."

"A traveler long absent arrives; the beautiful scenery is kept for you... Awaken a day full of bright moon, shine on my bosom full of ice and snow, vast rivers all flowing."

Unbeknownst to all, at this very moment on Luopo Mountain.

Among the cultivators at the Flying Ascension stage or above, there was a fourteenth-level sword cultivator, the Dragon Slayer, Chen Qingliu. Xin Ji'an. Xiao Mo, Bai Jing.

The registry officer of Luopo Mountain, now under the alias Konghou, was a white-haired youth, a Flying Ascension stage Extraterrestrial Demon.

Those listed among the ten philosophers accompanying the sacrifices in the Literary Temple were Daolin, Zhou Guo, Min Wen, and Lihou.

If we also included the old Flying Ascension cultivator from Liuxia Continent who didn't dare show his face, Jing Hao, whose Daoist title was Qinggong Taibao.

That would be about ten.

Ah yes, the host mountain's master was at the Nascent Soul stage.

In the capital of Cloudy Rock Kingdom, Qingtong separated from Yangzhi and continued to wander the streets alone, without aim.

Suddenly, at a relatively secluded street corner, he saw a white-robed youth leaning against a wall, holding a colorful paper pinwheel in his hand.

To be honest, Qingtong would rather deal with Hidden Officer Chen than meet this person.

Cui Dongshan quickly walked toward Qingtong. The colorful pinwheel rotated slowly. His expression was eager. "To meet Vice Chief Qingtong outside the mountain, I'm so happy!"

The chief guest elder of the Green Duckweed Sword Sect was Ye Yunyun of Pu Mountain, and the vice chief patron was this Qingtong before him.

His master had once openly given Fellow Daoist Qingtong a very high evaluation, calling him the fourth invisible mountain peak of the Green Duckweed Sword Sect.

So he personally invited Qingtong to be a concealed guardian for the subsidiary sect.

Chen Ping'an also promised to ask his master to put in a few good words for Qingtong at the Literary Temple.

He wanted to see if they could pick a geomantically favorable spot near the Demon Suppression Tower to establish a sect, attracting and recruiting some native demonic cultivators from Indus Leaf Continent with clean backgrounds to become registered cultivators, so Qingtong could be the first-generation founder.

Back then at Mithril Snow Peak, Qingtong didn't dare make any big claims, only promising to do his best, without making any other commitments.

Chen Ping'an seemed to have been waiting for those exact words, and they made their pact with that.

Qingtong squeezed out a smile. "I greet Sect Master Cui."

Cui Dongshan nodded vigorously. "Meeting an old friend in a foreign land is always an unexpected joy."

Qingtong didn't mention running into Yangzhi at the barbecue stall.

Cui Dongshan pretended not to know.

Qingtong asked, "Sect Master Cui's appearance in the capital this time—are you planning to personally oversee the excavation of the Great River?"

Cui Dongshan shook his head like a rattle-drum. "No, no. With Master Zhongfu, Junior Brother Cao, and Great Sword Immortal Mi around, I can comfortably be a hands-off boss."

Qingtong wasn't good at making pleasant small talk, so the atmosphere became a bit awkward.

Cui Dongshan said, "Since I happened to run into the Vice Chief Patron, this is a good opportunity to tell you about an important matter concerning our sect. Come, let's talk on the Tung-Yin Ferry Boat."

Qingtong, being a real Vice Chief Patron, couldn't very well refuse, so he had to follow Cui Dongshan on foot toward the Fish-Scale Ferry outside the capital.

If he had known, he would rather have patiently stayed with Yangzhi and that little River Hag to eat skewers.

Cui Dongshan casually asked, "Vice Chief Qingtong, have you chosen a location for the sect yet?"

Qingtong said, "Not yet. No hurry anyway."

In truth, he had a few favored locations, but he just didn't want to discuss it with this Sect Master Cui.

He felt more at ease discussing matters and doing business with Chen Ping'an. Qingtong always felt that this "white-robed youth" Cui Dongshan was the kind of person who knew no taboos. It was probably only in front of his master, Chen Ping'an, that he restrained himself a bit and acted like a person of sound mind.

Cui Dongshan raised his arm high, gently shaking it, the colorful pinwheel spinning continuously. He laughed. "I see. I was hoping that you had found a suitable location in your mind, because I've recently come up with a location for the Green Duckweed Sword Sect's subsidiary sect. Two happy events at once!"

Qingtong thought he had misheard. "Subsidiary sect?"

The Green Duckweed Sword Sect had only been a subsidiary sect of Luopo Mountain for a few days, and you, Cui Dongshan, are already thinking about having your own subsidiary sect?!

Cui Dongshan wasn't lying to Qingtong. He was indeed already planning how to establish a "subsidiary sect" for the Green Duckweed Sword Sect.

And it wasn't the established sect in the Five Colors World, because the Literary Temple had recently issued a regulation: a qi refiner's foundations in the Five Colors World are unrelated to the Haoran World.

Sect Master Cui had been furious. He sent a letter to the Rites Academy, asking Vice Minister Mao which idiot at the Literary Temple had been so bored as to make such a suggestion.

Vice Minister Mao's reply was just one word: Me.

Cui Dongshan had to settle for second best, tentatively choosing a location in the central part of Indus Leaf Continent, at the mouth of the Lin River. So he didn't have to directly clash with the Jade Seal Sect, which had only recently allied with them. As for the Lin Riverbank, the Green Duckweed Sword Sect would soon break ground to build a celestial ferry, which he had already named Full Sunset Ferry.

Over there, on the north and south banks, two small states would soon appear: one ruled by Empress Dugu Menglong, with Chief Supporter Shao Poxian and National Protector True Person Wu Yi; the other ruled by Yu Lu and Xie Xie.

Cui Dongshan was spending money like water, paying out of his own pocket, buying everything up. Besides the three peaks within the sect's territory, he also bought, for example, the Wild Cloud Ferry, which originally belonged to the vassal peak Lingbi Mountain of the White Dragon Cave. Now it was the Green Duckweed Sword Sect's private ferry, and Cui Dongshan bought it for a hundred Grain Rain Coins.

Cui Dongshan had another big move planned. He intended to relocate more mountains and ruins of ancient immortal mansions and Dao fields from various countries of Indus Leaf Continent in one go, placing them around the existing three mountains. This way, he would expand the territory bit by bit. He also planned to buy many "exclaves" for the sect—vassal peaks scattered across Indus Leaf Continent. One day, from points to lines, they would be able to compete with the Jade Seal Sect on territorial scale.

You have a Cavern Blessed Land? Don't I have a Spring Heaven Cave? Besides, the Cavern Blessed Land belongs to Chief Minister Zhou, so it's as good as mine.

But the Literary Temple had also awarded an additional Blessed Land to the Jade Seal Sect according to their merits. Cui Dongshan had his eye on the Three Mountains Blessed Land of the Wan Yao Sect. Of course, it would be difficult, but they could take it slowly.

Arriving at the bustling Fish-Scale Ferry, crowded with tourists, Cui Dongshan led Qingtong onto the Tung-Yin Ferry Boat.

Qingtong found that besides Mi Yu and Zhong Qiu, several others were there. A room was full of people. Such a grand gathering suggested that tonight's discussion was indeed no small matter.

Cui Dongshan slapped his forehead. "I forgot to invite one senior from the mountains to the meeting. Wait a moment, I'll be right back!"

Cui Dongshan teleported, returning to the capital of Cloudy Rock Kingdom.

The Young Daoist, with the Daoist title Dragon Whiskers, was the mountain master of Little Dragon Pool, Si Mengjing. They had drunk together, and he had no sleepiness. His Mountain Refining Technique had also reached a bottleneck, so he sat alone on the rooftop enjoying the night view.

This small capital of a tiny kingdom had survived the continent-wide war intact. Was there truly divine protection in the unseen?

On the street outside the residence, a white-robed youth was vigorously waving a colorful pinwheel. "Young Daoist! Young Daoist! Over here!"

The Young Daoist asked doubtfully, "Fellow Daoist, you are..."

It was rare to encounter a qi refiner whose depth he couldn't discern.

"I'm Dongshan," the white-robed youth said, laughing heartily. "Family! In terms of the scholarly lineage's seniority, Li Huai and I are fellow disciples."

The Young Daoist had already guessed the other's identity. Li Huai had mentioned this person—someone who had eagerly wanted to become Chen Ping'an's student years ago, and had once traveled together to study.

Cui Dongshan said shyly, "I'm visiting today because I have a favor to ask. But it's a bit hard to speak of."

The Young Daoist said, "Since it's hard to speak of, then don't."

You're trying to be polite with me? Then I won't bother being polite with you.

Cui Dongshan said seriously, "Senior, you may not know, but when I walked among the mortal world in my early years, I also had a resounding nickname, with a similar wonder to your Young Daoist. It was called 'Gou Dao Ren'!"

Dog Daoist?!

The Young Daoist's face darkened. Young man, you're not learning properly, coming to my door just to insult me?

A single coin can baffle a hero. It was frustrating. Cui Dongshan had had a little savings of immortal money in his pocket earlier.

But that old bastard seemed to have calculated that he would establish a sect, and the few dimensional items Cui Dongshan had left behind...

Well, they were neither too tight nor too generous. In short, Cui Dongshan could forget about splashing money around with his eyes closed.

Cui Dongshan tiptoed, stepped onto the courtyard wall, then hopped onto the roof, landing with a plop beside the Young Daoist, and whispered, "Young Daoist, to tell you the truth, we've just established a sect..."

The Young Daoist interrupted, "I have no money!"

Li Huai was right: one shouldn't be led around by face.

Besides, it wasn't that the Young Daoist was pretending to be poor; it was the truth. In the Hundred Thousand Mountains, year after year, the immortal money he had painstakingly saved up had all been eaten by the famished barbarian Peach Pavilion.

Do you think that old blind man, whose realm was as high as his temper was bad, was a good person? Did he even pay for meals?

In the end, the barbarian Peach Pavilion was left with only three types of immortal money, one of each. He couldn't bear to spend them, so he kept them as a memento.

But as for magical treasures, rare materials, and elixirs, the Young Daoist did have a few. After all, he was a Flying Ascension cultivator and a fierce old cultivator from the Barbarian World. Without some savings, he'd be embarrassed to greet his fellow Daoists.

The white-robed youth seemed to have been struck by a heavy blow to the chest. He stood dumbfounded for a moment, then said gloomily, "A senior of the mountains of such high virtue and long Daoist age as Young Daoist, yet so..."

The Young Daoist nodded. "Poor."

Perhaps he was speaking too bluntly, and fearing it might hurt their relationship—he had heard that the scholars of the Wen Sheng lineage were particularly good at lodging false accusations, and if Cui Dongshan one day complained to Li Huai, it wouldn't be good—the Young Daoist softened his tone and explained, "If I were truly wealthy, why would I come to mooch food and lodging from Dragon Whiskers Immortal Lord?"

Cui Dongshan rubbed his hands together. "So you don't even have a single coin? Then, Senior, would you be willing to contribute some effort?"

The Young Daoist immediately became alert. "Effort? What do you mean? Since we're all family, please, Sect Master Cui, speak plainly."

"For buying mountains from the various kingdoms, I can manage on my own—borrowing here, running up debts there, robbing Peter to pay Paul. I can barely make it work."

"Those mountains that the monarchs consider chicken ribs—they don't have legs. Moving mountains consumes too much qi of a qi refiner. My realm is insufficient—a mere Immortal—I don't have the great divine power to store mountains in my pocket, to put a mustard seed in a gourd. So every time I carry a mountain back to the sect, it's not just a hardship; there have been times when I called out to heaven but heaven didn't answer, and I felt like just banging my head against a wall and dying."

"Young Daoist has no money, and this junior has no realm—fellow sufferers, no wonder we hit it off."

The Young Daoist chuckled. "My trip to Indus Leaf Continent this time was at the invitation of your master, to help with the excavation of the Great River and the relocation of mountain ranges. Your request here is a private matter, isn't it?"

After thinking for a moment, he continued, "If Sect Master Cui is willing to speak to your master and get an official document from the Jise Peak Ancestral Hall of Luopo Mountain, then this favor, however tricky, I would do."

Having stayed with Li Huai, the Young Daoist had learned a few things about dealing with people. First, he was worried that Cui Dongshan was acting on his own, dragging him into a thankless task. If something went wrong, there would be no one to cover for them. With Chen Ping'an's endorsement, at least they would have something in black and white. Then if anything went wrong later, they could just shift the blame onto Chen Ping'an. This young Hidden Officer, though a bit of a miser, was still a man of his word.

Moreover, when it came to moving mountains, he was the old ancestor, the undisputed grandmaster. No one but Zhu Yan could compete with him in this. Relocating mountain ranges was a piece of cake for him. But he couldn't just do it for free. Both Chen Ping'an and this Cui fellow had to owe him a favor.

This was called foolproof and killing two birds with one stone.

Cui Dongshan looked relieved. "I do have a letter! We've already exchanged one letter. Without my master's nod and permission, how would this junior dare to bother you, Senior? Wouldn't that be too uncouth, too rude? There's no such principle for a junior in this world."

Cui Dongshan pulled a letter from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.

The Young Daoist tucked the letter into his sleeve without opening it and nodded. "Then I'll accompany Sect Master Cui on this trip, consider it a warm-up."

Since he had the young Hidden Officer's personal letter, it would be foolish not to take the favor. If he was going to do it anyway, it wouldn't hurt to help with refining the mountains as well—it was all part of cultivation anyway.

Damn it, this youth was at least a sect master and a disciple of Wen Sheng. Surely he wouldn't deceive him on a matter like this.

So he wouldn't open the letter in front of Cui Dongshan. Scholars in the Haoran World all cared about face.

The Haoran World, with all its myriad rules and etiquette, was different from his hometown, where one could travel the world empty-handed. Here, just having a high realm and being good at fighting wasn't enough to get by. No matter how high your realm—even if you're a Flying Ascension cultivator—if you don't know how to deal with people, you'll still find your path narrowing. Only with many familiar Daoist friends and many connections in the mountains could one navigate smoothly, clinking glasses and drinking one party after another.

Cui Dongshan made a gesture of raising a cup and said with a grin, "Young Daoist, at Fish-Scale Ferry, we have one of our own ferry boats. There's good wine on board. How about another drink?"

The Young Daoist thought for a moment. He was bored anyway, so why not drink? He stuck to his principle: more mountain friends, more paths.

Unexpectedly, the white-robed youth didn't use any immortal arts. Instead, he chose to walk on foot toward Fish-Scale Ferry. The Young Daoist felt helpless, but he couldn't back out now, so he had to follow.

On the Tung-Yin Ferry Boat, after Cui Dongshan left, Zhong Qiu learned from chatting with Master Zhong that this was all because Cui Dongshan had become the sect master—a new broom sweeps clean.

What they were going to discuss today was something very different from Luopo Mountain.

Unlike the upper sect Luopo Mountain, which was a peaceful "ball of paste," the subsidiary sect Green Duckweed Sword Sect, under its first sect master Cui Dongshan, had undergone a radical reform. For example, they had newly established Three Treasuries, Six Departments, and Eight Bureaus. It was said that when the number of registered members increased in the future, aside from the Three Treasuries, which wouldn't be expanded, the other departments and bureaus would continue to expand on their existing basis.

A huge map of the Green Duckweed Sword Sect hung on the wall.

Different peaks and Dao fields were marked in red, and the locations of the various department and bureau "offices" were circled in black.

Earlier, at the Mithril Snow Peak Ancestral Hall, the upper sect Luopo Mountain's Discipline Law Patriarch, Chang Ming, announced the members of the subsidiary sect Green Duckweed Sword Sect's Ancestral Hall.

Upper sect master Chen Ping'an and subsidiary sect master Cui Dongshan had two chairs facing each other.

Discipline Law Patriarch Cui Wei, Chief Supporter Mi Yu, Zhong Qiu in charge of the sect's finances. Sui Youbian, Cao Qinglang, Tao Ran, Wu Gou, Xiao Manying. Additionally, after the first Ancestral Hall meeting, a resolution was passed: Vice Chief Patron Qingtong, Chief Guest Elder Huang Ting, Qiu Du, and Lowest Seat Supporter Cao Jun were all appointed as new members of the Ancestral Hall. These were the usual procedures in the mountains.

And Ye Yunyun of Pu Mountain, and Yao Xianzhi, the capital prefect of the Great Spring Dynasty, were registered guest elders, yet they were exceptionally allowed to have permanent seats in the Ancestral Hall.

This was clearly because someone had set up a one-man rule.

Cui Dongshan, Zhong Qiu, Cui Wei, Supporter Mi Yu, plus a temporarily vacant Mountain Protection Supporter—these "high officials," along with those who had a seat in the Ancestral Hall like Vice Chief Patron Qingtong, would each have their own responsibilities, governing different numbers and types of treasuries, departments, and bureaus.

Qingtong didn't find this strange. In fact, this kind of setup by Cui Dongshan was how a proper sect-level immortal mansion should be. Luopo Mountain, with its loose and casual style, was the exception.

Qingtong glanced at the map. The framework of three treasuries, six departments, and eight bureaus was as follows:

The relatively transcendent treasuries were the Spring Treasury, Mountain Treasury, and Water Treasury.

The departments were the Rites Department, Finance Department, Merit and Demerit Department, Operations Department, Wandering Travel Department, and Inspection Department.

The bureaus were the Organization Bureau, Incense Bureau, Investigation Bureau, Secretariat Bureau, Brewing Bureau, Construction Bureau, Engraving Bureau, and Flowers and Moon Bureau.

Spring Treasury:
Responsible for the financial power of the entire sect. The person in charge could only be Zhong Qiu.
Master Zhong was special; he had multiple "offices." Besides the Spring Treasury located at Mithril Snow Peak on Immortal Capital Mountain, he also had a private residence on Yunzheng Mountain, where he taught boxing to a group of pure martial artists in the mountain. Additionally, Cui Dongshan had just built an academy at the foot of Chouliang Mountain. Master Zhong, who was said to be "more capable, more work," was appointed as the first academy head.

Mountain Treasury:
Responsible for all matters concerning the various peaks of the sect, as well as managing the mountain protection grand formation and all mountain and water prohibitions. In case of emergencies where a Mithril Snow Peak Ancestral Hall meeting couldn't be convened, the Mountain Treasury members could make temporary decisions. It seemed somewhat like a smaller Ancestral Hall, with only five members for now: Cui Dongshan, Mi Yu, Cao Qinglang of Jingxing Peak, Chief Guest Elder Huang Ting, and Vice Chief Patron Qingtong.

Water Treasury:
Responsible for intelligence gathering, training assassins and death warriors, managing patrolling within the sect's territory and adjacent areas to prevent infiltration by hostile forces, and placing informants outside, cultivating and supporting unnamed loyal cultivators and allied immortal mansions. The leader was Cui Dongshan, with the Discipline Law Patriarch Cui Wei as deputy.

Rites Department:
Had many responsibilities: recording registered household registries, managing rites, music, sacrifices, and worship, handling master-disciple lineage transmissions and marriages, overseeing mountain Dao fields, martial arts halls, and academies, compiling chronicles, evaluating promotions, managing daily interactions, and writing and publishing mountain newspapers. Sui Youbian served as the head of the Rites Department, with Cao Qinglang and Qiu Du as assistant officials.
This Rites Department was undoubtedly the foremost among all departments and bureaus.
Because the secondary peak of Immortal Capital Mountain, Exiled Immortal Peak, now belonged to Sui Youbian, the Rites Department was built at the Sweeping Flower Terrace on that peak.

Merit and Demerit Department:
Was undoubtedly the domain of Discipline Law Patriarch Cui Wei. Fully responsible for the merit, demerit, rewards, and punishments of the sect's Ancestral Hall, inner sect, and outer sect disciples, as well as the recording of golden jade registries... and expulsions!
Discipline Law Patriarch Cui Wei and his direct disciple Yu Xiemo, whose natal flying sword was named "Breaker's Command," had their Dao fields built on Tianbian Peak of Immortal Capital Mountain, at the Immortal's Palm. The Merit and Demerit Department office was naturally built nearby.

Operations Department:
Established a Sword House, responsible for flying sword messaging, managing all ferry boats—such as the transcontinental ferry Wind Kite and the current one underfoot, Tung-Yin—and all celestial ferries under the sect's name, as well as all vassal peaks of the sect's "exclaves."
A pair of ghost cultivators, husband and wife, both Golden Core cultivators, Wu Gou and Xiao Manying, were proficient in formations. Their Dao field was located beside the Cloud Ladder Path on Chouliang Mountain. They were responsible for the daily affairs of this Operations Department office.
This was the special treatment for founding ancestors and sect-establishing patriarchs. According to the new rules, in the future, merely being a Golden Core cultivator would certainly not guarantee a seat in the Ancestral Hall.
However, the nominal head of the Operations Department was still Chief Supporter Mi Yu.
Mi Yu and his direct disciple He Gu, whose natal flying sword was "Flying Come Peak," had their Dao fields built on Yunshang Peak of Immortal Capital Mountain.
But just looking at the department office being set up near the Cloud Ladder Path on Chouliang Mountain, one could tell how "nominal" Great Sword Immortal Mi's position as head was.

Finance Department:
Responsible for various taxes, tribute, treasury storage, and accounting for all land and water trade revenues and expenditures. They prepared annual budgets and regularly distributed salaries and allowances to the sect's cultivators. Sect Master Cui Dongshan temporarily served as the head of the Finance Department, but according to the rules, any expenditure and allocation matters needed to be reported to Spring Treasury's Zhong Qiu for approval and verification before being submitted to the Ancestral Hall for deliberation and passage.

Wandering Travel Department:
Responsible for arranging disciples' external training and assigning senior elders to serve as protectors. If there were troublesome disputes outside the mountain, they could directly send a flying sword message to the Water Treasury. This department was headed by Lowest Seat Supporter, sword cultivator Cao Jun, and was under the jurisdiction of the Water Treasury. However, Huang Ting of Taiping Mountain, Ye Yunyun of Pu Mountain, Qingtong of the Demon Suppression Tower, and Yao Xianzhi, the capital prefect of the Great Spring Dynasty, were all "registered" in the Wandering Travel Department.

Inspection Department:
On the transcontinental ferry Wind Kite alone, there were dozens of Golden Armor Guardians and talisman puppets refined by Cui Dongshan. Nearly a hundred of these "Mountain and Water Inspectors" were named by Cui Dongshan as Rain Workers, Golden Masters, Shoulder Pole Workers, and Fish Feelers. Additionally, there were over two hundred mechanical puppets. The former were scattered across Indus Leaf Continent, meticulously mapping the mountains and rivers, while also opportunistically picking up treasures and making off with the spoils. The latter had all been deployed in the excavation of the Great River.

Organization Bureau:
Simply put, its most important duty was to set the quota for the various peaks of the sect. For example, it could suggest how many seats an Ancestral Hall should have, how many direct disciples a newly opened peak should have, and the number of inner and outer sect disciples. Everything was under the Organization Bureau's jurisdiction. It also weighed and balanced the mountain and water boundaries between peaks and Dao fields. It could also provide priority and candidate evaluations for peaks suitable for future opening. However, relatively speaking, this official position wasn't as prestigious as the Rites Department.

Incense Bureau:
Arranged for teaching and protecting Dao, managed social connections with mountain allies, kept detailed secret files on every disciple, including background, experience, training process, and evaluations. When needed, officials from the Rites Department and the Merit and Demerit Department could come here to review files. Generally speaking, internal matters belonged to the Rites Department, while external matters belonged to the Incense Bureau.

Investigation Bureau:
Searched for suitable sword cultivator seeds, natural Dao seeds, and those with martial arts aptitude. In short, they were responsible for going down the mountain secretly to find suitable disciples and bringing them back to the mountain to cultivate.

Secretariat Bureau:
Preserved and treasured all books, spiritual texts, secret manuals, sword manuals, and boxing manuals. Cao Qinglang was in charge.

There seemed to be a certain degree of overlap in responsibilities between the Wandering Travel Department and the Water Treasury, the Spring Treasury and the Finance Department, the Rites Department and the Organization Bureau, and the Rites Department and the Incense Bureau.

Furthermore, under this framework, immortal money and true gold and silver were separated from secret treasury treasures, including dharma robes, magical treasures, and spiritual artifacts, as well as Daoist scriptures and secret manuals. The three were kept distinct.

Brewing Bureau:
Allocated food and medicinal meals to the peaks, brewed wine and boiled medicine, refined elixirs and medicinal pills, managed daily charcoal and firewood supplies, and provided stationery and lighting.

Qiu Du, an old dragoness who had been a tutor in the old Dragon Palace, was a Nascent Soul cultivator. Her Dao field was located on the Bosuo Peak at the water source of Chouliang Mountain. When she cultivated, if Dao energy occasionally overflowed, it could enhance the mountain's water fortune. Qiu Du was in charge of the Brewing Bureau.

Construction Bureau:
Similar to the Ministry of Works under a mortal court. It managed all construction affairs of the sect, including sword forging and object refinement, opening mountain Dao fields and mansions, building ferries and ferry boats, and managing mountain forests, gardens, plants, flowers, and fruits. The Construction Bureau was temporarily under the direct supervision of Cui Dongshan, with the assistant official being sword cultivator Tao Ran. This newly ascended Golden Core Sword Immortal, who had already gained fame shortly after joining the mountain, had his Dao field on the Cinnabar Peak of Immortal Capital Mountain. Additionally, there were three cultivators from the old Yuzhi Gang's Shuyi Tower—Lan Yi, Yu Xinglou, and Fu Zhu. These three had served as ferry overseers, with realms not high—two at the Viewing Ocean stage and one at the Cave Abode stage—but they were conscientious and had specific skills.

Engraving Bureau: Acquired and purchased all rare and valuable books. It was headed by Zhong Qiu, who also served as the academy head, with Vice Chief Patron Qingtong as deputy.

Flowers and Moon Bureau:
Was very simple. It managed all the Mirror Flowers and Water Moon operations of the Green Duckweed Sword Sect.
This was also the first time Great Sword Immortal Mi had actively shouldered a responsibility.

On this map, many names appeared that were unfamiliar to Qingtong, Zhong Qiu, and even Cao Qinglang. They were mostly assistant officials in various departments and bureaus.

For example, one named "Petty Official" served as assistant official for both the Organization Bureau and the Engraving Bureau.

The Green Duckweed Sword Sect, for the time being, maintained a pattern of one main peak and two auxiliary peaks. Besides the founding mountain Immortal Capital Mountain, there were Yunzheng Mountain and Chouliang Mountain, with their main peaks being Our Dregs Peak and Jingxing Peak.

The ferry at the foot of the mountain was named Blue Shirt Ferry.

At the foot of Mithril Snow Peak, Xiao Mo had named a shoal "Fallen Treasure Shoal," where he built a thatched hut.

Our Dregs Peak was Sect Master Cui Dongshan's Dao field, and he was also the first mountain master of Yunzheng Mountain. Jingxing Peak belonged to his junior brother Cao Qinglang, who had recently formed his golden core. He was not yet the master of Chouliang Mountain. Among the younger sword cultivators, whoever first reached the Jade Pu stage would automatically become the next peak master of Our Dregs Peak and, in turn, the second mountain master of Yunzheng Mountain. And from the next sect master, Cao Qinglang onward, all future sect masters of the Green Duckweed Sword Sect would emerge from Jingxing Peak, similar to the Nine Chess Peak of the Jade Seal Sect.

New rules, once established over time, would become a long-standing tradition.

Since it was a Sword Sect, the founding mountain, Immortal Capital Mountain, was the place for sword cultivators to practice their swords. Chouliang Mountain was for qi refiners who were not sword cultivators. Yunzheng Mountain was primarily for martial artists.

On Yunzheng Mountain, Pei Qian chose the Fishing Pavilion next to the Green Bamboo Ravine to build a thatched hut and settle down.

Her master, Chen Ping'an, chose to build a private residence on the slightly higher Mingding Peak of this mountain.

As Vice Chief Patron Qingtong, following the usual customs in the mountains, he was allowed to occupy a peak and open it as his own Dao field. The Winged Level Flat on Chouliang Mountain was the second highest, right after Jingxing Peak.

The intention behind this arrangement was simple.

Chen Ping'an hoped that Fellow Daoist Qingtong could serve as the secret guardian behind his proud student, Cao Qinglang.

Qingtong was naturally well aware of this.

Until Cao Qinglang ascended to the Upper Five Realms and became the second sect master, he would need to pay close attention.

Finally, having walked all the way to Fish-Scale Ferry on two legs, the Young Daoist clasped his hands behind his back and offered a compliment: "Sect Master Cui, your family's enterprise is truly vast."

Cui Dongshan led the yellow-robed old man onto the deck, laughing, "Not at all, not at all."

Before this, Jiang Shangzhen and Feng Xuetiao had just entered the room.

So when the Young Daoist entered the room, Cui Dongshan, who had slowed his pace, casually closed the door behind him.

Inside the room were: Qingtong of the Indus Leaf Continent Demon Suppression Tower, a Flying Ascension qi refiner and a half-Zhijing martial artist; Feng Xuetiao, a Flying Ascension rogue cultivator with the Daoist title Green Secret; Jiang Shangzhen, Chief Supporter of Luopo Mountain, and Mi Yu, Chief Supporter of the Green Duckweed Sword Sect, both great sword immortals; plus Cui Dongshan, who had closed the door.

Faced with such a lineup, the Young Daoist nearly jumped out of his skin.

Cui Dongshan smiled and said, "Young Daoist, speaking frankly behind closed doors, that letter earlier was actually a fake. A little joke from this junior. Senior, you're not angry, are you?"

The Young Daoist grunted, nodded stiffly, and said, "No harm done. We're all family."

Then Cui Dongshan eagerly grabbed the Young Daoist's arm, insisting that the senior sit in the sect master's chair. The Young Daoist couldn't refuse, so he sat down.

Cui Dongshan then carefully explained the setup of the three treasuries, various departments, and bureaus—what the original intention was, where the boundaries of responsibility lay. He explained it all in detail.

With the Young Daoist present, the outsider Feng Xuetiao felt much less awkward.

Cui Dongshan spoke meticulously for a full half-hour, then waved his hand and laid down a decisive sentence: if there were no objections, the meeting was adjourned.

He asked Chief Minister Zhou to stay, and separately called for Tao Ran. He instructed Sword Immortal Tao not to waste time on the Tung-Yin Ferry Boat; he was to leave immediately for the thatched hut on the Lin Riverbank. The construction of the ferry had moved from paper to reality.

As for the Young Daoist, he remained in the room, exchanging a few pleasantries with Qingtong.

At the prow of the boat, Cui Dongshan said with a grin, "Sword Immortal Tao, I'll say it again: I await good news. Once you reach the Nascent Soul stage, I'll have the Rites Department throw you a grand peak-opening ceremony."

Tao Ran said irritably, "Does dreaming count?"

Cui Dongshan, with the palm of his hand against his chin, seemed to be seriously considering Sword Immortal Tao's self-deprecating suggestion.

Tao Ran, afraid of this sect master with his unconventional way of thinking, immediately changed his tune. "I won't slack off in my cultivation, but whether I succeed or not depends on fate."

Cui Dongshan pointed at Chief Minister Zhou and laughed. "We agreed earlier: you can curse out Jiang Shangzhen a bit. Go ahead, spit all over him!"

Though Jiang Shangzhen was bewildered, he smiled and reminded, "Sword Immortal Tao, let me say this first: curse all you want, but don't get physical."

Earlier, Sword Immortal Tao had been so bold and heroic in front of Hidden Officer Chen, Xiao Mo, and Mi Yu. But now, facing the old sect master Jiang, he was actually looking awkward and uneasy.

Cui Dongshan said teasingly, "Sword Immortal Tao, what's wrong with you? Are you disrespecting our Chief Minister Zhou? Do you think his realm isn't high enough for you to teach him a lesson?"

Tao Ran stammered, "Sect Master Cui, please stop fanning the flames."

Cui Dongshan pretended to joke, "Then let's drop it for today. Sword Immortal Tao, do you have any other living person you want to curse? If you do, I'll find them for you one by one in the future."

Tao Ran was clearly getting flustered and said, "Stop talking nonsense. You're always so passive-aggressive. How can you be Master Chen's student? He doesn't put on such airs; he's more like a real scholar."

Cui Dongshan and Jiang Shangzhen exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.

Sword Immortal Tao's argument... seemed quite reasonable. It was hard for them to refute.

Tao Ran took his leave, summoned a talisman boat, and departed from Fish-Scale Ferry.

Jiang Shangzhen leaned over the railing and laughed. "Why did you go to all this trouble?"

Cui Dongshan cradled the back of his head with his hands. "It's not that I don't trust anyone. But when there are many people, and there will only be more in the future, I have to give them something to do. A person can't be too idle. Many problems that shouldn't be problems arise purely from having too much free time."

Jiang Shangzhen asked a very insider question. "In the future, when the cultivators and martial artists of the various peaks of the Green Duckweed Sword Sect choose their direct disciples, will you interfere?"

Cui Dongshan smiled. "Usually, it's just a show, an empty shell. Under normal circumstances, I won't really interfere. It's just a formality."

But when Sect Master Cui really did want to interfere, he could. And it would be a kind of interference that was well-documented and justified.

Cui Dongshan raised his hands, intertwining his ten fingers. "If they interlock like mortise and tenon, it becomes secure."

Only caring about personal feelings and pursuing pure freedom.

Only wild cultivators and rogue immortals could do that.

Cui Dongshan suddenly asked, "Chief Minister Zhou, what do you think it means to like someone?"

Jiang Shangzhen smiled. "It's probably like falling into a den of thieves. No matter how many bandits you kill, you still can't defeat them."

Immortal Capital Mountain, Exiled Immortal Peak, Sweeping Flower Terrace.

Sui Youbian held a sword called Heartbreak in her hand. The sword light was as clear as snow light.

Her only disciple, the little cook Cheng Zhaolu, was now practicing sword within that cave heaven Dao field.

At the foot of the mountain, on Fallen Treasure Shoal, an old man who seemed to be on a wandering journey appeared.

Sui Youbian suddenly widened her eyes and murmured in a trembling voice, "Master, Master? Master!"

Dragon Spring Sword Sect, Youyi Peak.

Liu Xianyang had finally come out of seclusion.

To be precise, he had slept for a very long time, not just a nap like before.

Seeing Liu Xianyang bounce out of the house, alive and kicking, She Yue breathed a sigh of relief.

Liu Xianyang's expression was strange. He communicated via heart-to-heart, "I met that sword cultivator, one of the Ten Great Masters of the ancient world again."

Since Liu Xianyang said that, She Yue, though not really interested, had to pretend to be curious. "And then? Did he think you're a genius and, in a good mood, teach you a few advanced sword techniques?"

Liu Xianyang's expression was complicated. He tried to speak several times but stopped. Finally, he waved his hand. "I made a pact with him. I'll tell you the details later."

She Yue asked a question she was more interested in. "Is he very strong in a fight? How strong?"

Liu Xianyang nodded. "I followed him once to the Fallen Treasure Shoal's Azure Hollow Cave. I could only watch from afar, and I didn't see it clearly, but he won very easily."

She Yue clicked her tongue in amazement. If Liu Xianyang described it that way, it gave a very intuitive sense of just how strong that sword cultivator among the Ten Great Masters really was.

Liu Xianyang walked to the edge of the cliff, squatted down, casually picked up a piece of grass from the ground, brushed off the dirt, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly.

The sect's mountains had been relocated here, so the scenery before his eyes was different.

In the distance, there was a mountain, anciently named White Peak. There were many cliff carvings on the mountain, with phrases like "Climbing the Clouds, Holding the Sun," "Human World, Celestial Realm," and so on. It was said there were over a hundred such carvings, though Liu Xianyang had never counted them.

Though it was called White Peak, the mountain's color was as red as cinnabar. When sunlight hit it, it shone like a splendid sunset, as if a woman had applied rouge.

In the distance, there was a lake. When the wind blew across the water, it looked like a shattered mirror. This mountain and this water were both within the borders of a single county.