Chapter 1056: Drunkenness Leaves One Speechless
The warm sun was gentle, the spring light carefree, the flowers blooming in their appointed seasons—plums, apricots, peaches—all opening one after another.
In the Liulichang district of the capital, where bookshops lined the streets, a handsome young man sat at the entrance of a shop. At his waist hung a purple gourd wine flask, its patina gleaming like oil. He basked in the sun, eating a bowl of pea-flour cake he had bought on the way, while haggling with the shopkeeper inside over a few books he had his eye on, calling them old maids who wouldn't marry. At the same time, he exchanged flirtatious glances with the proprietress of the neighboring bookstore, who had set up a roadside stall to sun her books. Thus he waited for his prey to come to him, killing three birds with one stone.
The shopkeeper, who had lent the young drunkard a stool, sat behind his counter carefully wiping a folk imitation of an official porcelain piece. He looked up at the rogue outside, who was casting sidelong glances and making eyes at the woman in the next shop. Chuckling, he said, "Secretary Cao, if you dare to touch her hand in broad daylight, then give her a few hugs, I'll sell you all these books at half price. How about that?"
The young man picked up a piece of pea-flour cake and tossed it into his mouth, grinning cheekily. "I'll pass on daytime—bad for the reputation. How about at night? I'll listen at the wall?"
The voices of the two men were not low, and clearly neither was trying to avoid the middle-aged woman's ears. Hearing this, she grabbed a book from her stall, laughed and cursed, "You deadbeat," and threw the book at the handsome young man who never seemed to take anything seriously. "One without balls, the other without guts—both just talking big. Any fun in that?"
That "Secretary Cao" was no nickname—he was a genuine vice minister of one of the ministries in the Great Li court, and moreover, he served in the Ministry of Personnel, which oversaw all other officials.
The young man caught the "hidden weapon," didn't even glance at the title, just sniffed it, then lightly tossed it back onto the beauty's stall. "No spicy content, no color in the words—won't read it, no fun, no fun."
Cao Gengxin shifted his gaze slightly and saw several people emerge from an antique shop in the distance. They were outsiders, from the Northern Jambu Continent.
A tall, middle-aged man wore an old sable hat with considerable wear, a cotton-padded jacket, and deerskin boots. His face showed no sign of hardship, but he had the look of poverty.
This was Liu Xu, the sword cultivator from the Luo Ma River Liu Clan.
Yuan Xuan, from the Sanlang Temple, had the appearance of a youth and wore a mud-gold dharma robe.
On this trip south across continents to tour the Precious Bottle Continent, this heir of the Sanlang Temple—nicknamed "Yuan One-Foot" or "Yuan Rising Water"—had brought only two attendants: Fan Yu, a martial artist at the Distant Travel realm. This female martial arts grandmaster had once gone to the Great Li auxiliary capital and the Great River battlefield, risking life and limb. The Ministry of Rites of Great Li had kept a detailed record of her. Fan Yu traveled through Great Li's landscapes, and if she publicly revealed her identity, the various mountain and river spirits, upon seeing her travel permit, were required to treat her with due courtesy. If she preferred to travel incognito, they were not to disturb her.
High-ranking gods of Great Li all had such a "courtesy list" on hand for easy reference and hospitality. Whether a mountain cultivator or a martial artist from outside, if they had acted righteously and repaid Great Li on the battlefield, the court would treat them as a national scholar and receive them with proper rites.
Liu Wuding, an old sword cultivator at the Nascent Soul realm, was different from Fan Yu, who was something of a family retainer. He was a top-grade retainer of the Sanlang Temple, receiving a considerable annual salary. In truth, he did only one job: protect the direct disciples of the Yuan clan. Previously it was Yuan Yizhi, now simply Yuan Xuan.
In his youth, the old sword cultivator had been a lineage-registered cultivator, but later he became a wandering rogue cultivator, a ghost without a home. This happened because when Liu Wuding first broke through to the Golden Core realm, just a few days after emerging from seclusion, he secretly went to dismantle another sect's ancestral hall. It was his first time doing such a thing, and lacking worldly experience, he didn't hide his identity well enough; the other party recognized his sword technique's origin. That caused a huge disaster. Originally a direct disciple with hopes of inheriting the sect leadership, a young genius with a bright future, he was forced out of the sect and fell into obscurity.
But looking back at that sword duel two hundred years later, the old man had no regrets.
So what if he was young and impulsive? At least he had been young.
Cao Gengxin quickly swallowed the last bite of pea-flour cake, flicked his sleeves, stood up, shook his robe, and smiled, waving his hand. "Sword Immortal Liu, Young Master Yuan, Sword Immortal Liu, Grandmaster Fan. Ha, both surnames sound the same—should have just called one of you."
The young vice minister used a very authentic Northern Jambu Continental refined speech.
Liu Xu frowned and asked, "You are? A retainer of the Ministry of Justice? Here to inspect and verify our identities?"
When dealing with cultivators from outside, the Great Li dynasty usually had retainers registered under the Ministry of Justice. If they dispatched military cultivators, that wouldn't be hospitality.
But Yuan Xuan had already recognized the other party. He smiled and said, "Uncle Liu, he's not from the Ministry of Justice. He's Vice Minister Cao of the Ministry of Personnel in the Great Li capital. He's quite famous even among mountain cultivators."
This man was indeed famous enough that the Great Li Song emperor made an exception, allowing Cao Gengxin to bring his wine flask into the government office, with the stipulation that he drink only one flask per day and not refill it. If he stayed overnight on duty in the palace, the emperor would gift Vice Minister Cao a jar of the Immortal Brew from the Long Spring Palace as compensation, calling it "fishing with wine" to prevent Cao Gengxin from making excuses to skip work. Officialdom rumor said that when Cao Gengxin returned to the capital as vice minister, he had prepared over a dozen excuses to dodge various official duties he deemed irrelevant—whether he was present or not. After using each one, he would start over again from the beginning.
In the north of Northern Jambu Continent, the Zhongtiao Mountain ran north-south alongside a great river, its range narrow and long. The entire majestic mountain range was like a god opening a third eye at the brow.
The Luo Ma River Liu Clan and the Sanlang Temple Yuan Clan sat east and west of the mineral-rich mountain range, as if occupying a treasure basin and an armory respectively.
Cao Gengxin gave Yuan Xuan a thumbs-up. "Young man, good knowledge!"
Yuan Xuan laughed. "Vice Minister Cao, actually, I'm not that young anymore."
Cao Gengxin nodded. "Same here—young-looking face, easy to take advantage."
Liu Xu asked, "Ministry of Personnel? What do you want with us?"
Cao Gengxin smiled. "Actually, it's not specifically you I'm looking for. I'm following you to wait for someone. I've been neighbors with him for many years, but never met him. After much thought, I just couldn't shake the feeling."
Yuan Xuan asked, "Could it be that Mountain Lord Chen?"
Cao Gengxin smiled. "Young Master Yuan is truly clever—one guess and you got it."
Yuan Xuan thought to himself, *We're looking for someone, and you're waiting for the same person—what's so hard to guess? Besides, the Kiln Affairs Supervisory Office in Dragon Spring Commandery and that Falling Mountain are indeed neighbors.*
Liu Xu asked, "What's the point of seeing him?"
Actually, this question was a bit out of place.
Cao Gengxin of the Ministry of Personnel couldn't control what Liu Xu did in Great Li, and sword cultivator Liu Xu certainly couldn't control whom Cao Gengxin wanted to see.
But from this, it was clear that Liu Xu's relationship with Chen Ping'an was not as ordinary as he had claimed to Yuan Xuan.
However, Cao Gengxin showed no anger. He patted the wine gourd at his waist, turned to the beauty selling books at her stall, and asked with a smile, "Manager Nan, what's that saying again?"
The woman laughed. "One of Suzi's famous prefaces says: 'My wife said, I have wine stored away for a long time, waiting for your unexpected need.'"
Cao Gengxin smiled. "I still need to introduce myself. I'm Cao Gengxin, courtesy name Shucheng. A native of the capital. I served as a kiln affairs supervisor for many years, posted to the old site of the Pearly Bead Cave Heaven, where I thrived like a fish in water. Now I'm a vice minister in the Ministry of Personnel, scraping by. Quite unfulfilled. Without a noble patron in court to support and promote me, becoming a top official is difficult, very difficult."
Cao Gengxin turned his head and smiled. "Here comes the main event."
Liu Xu and Liu Wuding exchanged glances.
This fellow Cao was not only a qi refiner but also of no low realm.
Cao Gengxin glanced at Liu Xu and Liu Wuding.
Once upon a time, a Nascent Soul realm qi refiner—let alone a sword cultivator—was already an unattainable figure. Now, looking at these old immortals, they seemed just... ordinary.
It was like when Cao Gengxin was young, he remembered his first visit to the alley outside the Maner Tower to call on Liu Jia. Knowing in advance the old immortal's realm, he was a bit nervous, bringing two fine wines and worrying whether the courtesy was sufficient, fearing he might be refused entry. Now, he could even bum drinks off Old Brother Liu.
Going back further, in his youth, Cao Gengxin heard from his elders about state affairs, inevitably tinged with some worry. Even when a battle plan seemed sure to succeed, they would pretend not to be certain.
Now, the children of our Great Li dynasty already take for granted that Great Li is one of the strongest nations in the Haoran World. They consider it the most natural thing in the world.
Especially the little brats from Yichi Lane and Chi'er Street have started calculating the relative strengths and weaknesses of the Great Duan Dynasty and the Xuanmi Dynasty in the Central Plain, guessing when Great Li will surpass them.
But it wasn't always like this.
Cao Gengxin remembered asking his grandfather about a famous court anecdote. Had Minister of War Shen Chen really cursed Grand Preceptor Cui like that? Since Shen Chen had resigned from the Ministry of Personnel and stubbornly founded an academy in his hometown, why did he later return to officialdom? Was it really Grand Preceptor Cui who personally invited Shen Chen to the capital to take charge of the Ministry of War?
After all, Cao Gengxin's grandfather was the patriarch of the Pillar-State Cao Clan. What outsiders could only guess, the old man could ask Shen Chen directly.
It turned out that Grand Preceptor Cui had indeed visited the local academy and personally invited Shen Chen back to officialdom. The reason he convinced that stubborn Shen Chen was simple.
Cui Chan told Shen Chen to lift his eyelids and look further ahead.
Since soon it would all be Great Li territory, what was the point of you Shen Chen fussing over trivialities?
If that anecdote ended there, Cao Gengxin would simply think Grand Preceptor Cui was a man of great talent and bold vision—not enough to make a youth's scalp tingle or spine chill.
It turned out that the old man had also told his most favored grandson another, even more "trivial" matter. When Grand Preceptor Cui appeared at that private academy, Shen Chen's hard-founded academy had already been converted to an official one. The new mountain master was already on his way—a literary Confucian whom Shen Chen had always deeply disliked. Three generations of his family had produced five successful candidates in the imperial examinations. Once this man took over the academy like a cuckoo, with both public grudges and private enmity, Shen Chen would likely die with his eyes open in regret. His so-called resignation and return to his hometown for retirement would amount to nothing—a basket to fetch water, all in vain.
Cui Chan gave you one choice, and there was no second option.
You Shen Chen could either die in frustration in your hometown, or obediently go to the Great Li capital to become a high official, serving the country, the people, and yourself, exhausting yourself for the state and your ambitions.
So Cao Gengxin had long concluded: the smarter people were, the more they feared Grand Preceptor Cui.
During those years as a kiln affairs supervisor, did Cao Gengxin really not want to accomplish something great? It was just that he was smart enough not to pretend to be clever.
After leaving the Thousand-Step Corridor, Jiang Shangzhen said he wanted to go to the Long Spring Palace to handle some personal business.
Xie Gou was still at the Fire God Temple.
Chen Ping'an only had Xiao Mo with him as he came to find Liu Xu and his group.
Cao Gengxin made a deep bow, voluntarily apologizing. "During my years as an official in the town, I never visited Mountain Lord Chen at Falling Mountain. Truly rude of me."
"And I never visited the Supervisory Office to pay respects to the local magistrate. Let's call it even."
Chen Ping'an returned the salute with cupped fists, smiling. "Why is Vice Minister Cao here too? Waiting specifically for me, lying in ambush?"
Cao Gengxin laughed. "I can't hide anything from Mountain Lord Chen."
Chen Ping'an asked, "Is there something to discuss?"
Cao Gengxin shook his head with a smile. "Just to meet you, greet you, and be satisfied. If Mountain Lord Chen needs to treat friends to drinks, just go to any large or small tavern by the Cattail River and mention my name. You can run a tab for free."
Chen Ping'an looked puzzled. "Is Vice Minister Cao's salary that high?"
Cao Gengxin brazenly replied, "Whether Mountain Lord Chen and friends drink is one thing; the taverns keeping accounts is another; Vice Minister Cao owing debts is yet another; and poor Cao Gengxin repaying money is still another."
Liu Xu was deeply impressed. He and Cao Gengxin were not of the same kind—they didn't share a temperament, and a brief chat told him they couldn't be friends. But Cao Gengxin would definitely get along with the Second Shopkeeper.
Chen Ping'an cupped his fists and smiled. "I appreciate the kindness. Thank you here."
Then Chen Ping'an led Liu Xu and the others away from Liulichang. He asked Liu Xu if he had chosen an inn. Liu Xu said not yet. Chen Ping'an recommended a place, adding that he wasn't very familiar with that immortal inn himself, but it was now quite famous among mountain cultivators on the Precious Bottle Continent.
Liu Xu didn't mind at all—after all, Yuan Xuan was paying. And Yuan Xuan naturally couldn't care less. He hadn't spent much of his immortal money during this Liulichang trip and was actually worried about not having expenses.
Vice Minister Cao returned the stool to the shopkeeper and finally fulfilled his wish, buying the few books he had long coveted.
The neighboring stall owner, who sold books, saw this and asked curiously, "How did you get the miser to pull out his coin? What magic potion did you feed him?"
Cao Gengxin smiled. "I told Old Hong that the person standing at his shop door chatting with me was Mountain Lord Chen of Falling Mountain. Old Hong was so happy, he gave them to me for free."
"Really? You're not fooling me?"
The woman was skeptical. She quickly turned to look at the distant blue-robed figure and murmured, "He's not that handsome either. Not as good-looking as you."
She remembered that a certain landscape travelogue sold quite well in the Liulichang bookshops. The protagonist was described as a youthful hero, with a face like jade, elegant and graceful, a blue robe, a sword on his back, riding a horse through the martial world, with beauties flocking to him unbidden—encounters he couldn't even avoid...
Cao Gengxin tucked the books into his robe and smiled. "Be a down-to-earth, honest person—that's a happy person with a broad heart and a plump body. Food tastes good, drink tastes good, and sleep is good."
Leaving the noisy Liulichang district, Liu Xu asked, "Are we really going to the Cattail River for drinks?"
Chen Ping'an laughed. "What are you thinking? Even a blind man knows that if we go there and actually mention Cao Gengxin's name, it'll be useless. Nine out of ten taverns would throw us out."
Besides, the taverns along the Cattail River were a bit heavy on the rouge and powder—not many places for sober drinking. Vice Minister Cao had clearly decided that Mountain Lord Chen wouldn't dare go there often.
Yuan Xuan plucked up his courage and asked shyly, "Mountain Lord Chen, do you still remember me? Last time at the Copper-Green Lake raft fishing, I introduced myself—Yuan Xuan, from Sanlang Temple."
Chen Ping'an nodded and smiled. "Of course I remember, vividly. At that time, Young Master Yuan, though young, was already an old hand in the martial world—kind-hearted but experienced in his ways."
Yuan Xuan's face lit up. He turned to the people beside him.
See? Was that just a polite remark or what?!
The old sword cultivator feigned surprise, and Fan Yu nodded slightly. They were both very supportive.
Liu Xu was a bit speechless. How could you be sure it wasn't still just a polite remark?
A fool like Yuan Xuan, even if he had all the money in the world, would be useless on the Sword Qi Great Wall. He'd be no better than that Sword Immortal Wei from the Wind and Snow Temple—he'd just become another number in the Second Shopkeeper's ledger.
The first time they met was at Copper-Green Lake in the Ghost Valley. According to the "Relaxed Collection," there was a local specialty fish called the Luo fish, which was a treasure all over. Rumor among mountain cultivators said that the most miraculous thing was that if a qi refiner ate this fish, they would no longer be troubled by any nightmares in the world.
The higher a cultivator's realm, the fewer dreams they had. If a cultivator reached the Earth Immortal realm and still had many dreams, it meant something had gone wrong in their cultivation—they were prone to qi deviation and losing their Dao heart.
Chen Ping'an had gone to Copper-Green Lake at that time to try his luck. It would be best to catch a fish, but if not, it didn't matter.
And Yuan Xuan's trip to the Ghost Valley was also to try his luck. But he wasn't as indifferent as Chen Ping'an.
Because his great-aunt, Yuan Yizhi, had been plagued by nightmares for a hundred years, which was why she had been unable to break through the Nascent Soul bottleneck.
Although no one could see any abnormality in her, Yuan Yizhi was actually already haggard in spirit and form. If a high-level person could see her true appearance, she would look like skin and bones.
But women loved beauty, and she used a talismanic method to create a self-deceiving "illusion." So within a hundred years, she only occasionally appeared in public, not even attending ancestral hall meetings. The last time she showed up was when Liu Jinglong visited Sanlang Temple. She forced herself to muster some spirit, unwilling to let him see her ghostly true face even though she wanted to take a few last glances at him.
Ever since the Ghost Valley spirit Gao Cheng mysteriously disappeared and voluntarily abandoned a Skull-Tower City, the Ghost Valley had been leaderless and could no longer stand against the Wood-Clothes Mountain. The Sack-Cloth Sect had completely taken over that small world. Sanlang Temple had a good relationship with the Sack-Cloth Sect. Since there was no longer any obstruction from that bastard Gao Cheng, Zhu Quan—who hadn't yet stepped down as sect leader at the time—heard about it and decided to completely drain the pond. She had a group of cultivators use water-moving spells to cast nets and catch fish. They caught quite a few of those "Small Lake Dragons" (silver carp), but their flesh was coarse—not worthy of a gourmet's discerning palate. The only valuable part was the two barbels on silver carp that lived over a hundred years, which could be used to refine treasures like demon-binding ropes, immortal-binding ropes, or horsetail whisks.
Among them were several silver carp of enormous size, weighing over five hundred catties. But compared to the unique Luo fish of Copper-Green Lake, silver carp were common in many large lakes of Northern Jambu Continent, so they were considered ordinary. As for the Luo fish, they also caught a pair, but they weren't old enough. The Yuan clan cultivators carefully brought them back to the family. Yuan Yizhi took one look at the two Luo fish and only said they were useless.
Yuan Yizhi just kept the pair of fish in a courtyard fish tank, playing with them in her spare time. Whether they were truly useless or she just didn't want to separate them was unclear.
Yuan Xuan looked troubled. "Mountain Lord Chen, this trip to the Precious Bottle Continent... actually, I'm looking for you... to see the old site of the Pearly Bead Cave Heaven, and then go to Falling Mountain..."
Liu Xu saw Yuan Xuan hemming and hawing, unable to get it out, so he spoke up for him. "He has an elder in Sanlang Temple with excellent Daoist aptitude, named Yuan Yizhi. She's a female sword cultivator with great talent. About a hundred years ago, in a secret realm relic, her Dao heart was contaminated by some strange thing. Since then, whenever she sleeps or concentrates on refining qi, she is plagued by nightmares. Not only can she not make progress in cultivation, but even sleeping like an ordinary person is difficult. So she's been stuck at the Nascent Soul realm for too many years. From the current situation, Yuan Yizhi doesn't have many years left before her soul turns into a mess—beyond saving even by immortals. So we need a Luo fish that is old enough. Whether this fish can drive away the troublesome nightmares—rumor or truth—we'll try anything."
Chen Ping'an asked doubtfully, "Didn't you seek help from a high-level cultivator?"
The Sanlang Temple had such a good reputation among mountain cultivators. Logically, for a Nascent Soul realm cultivator's bottleneck, if they invited a Flying Ascension realm cultivator, they could simply use force to solve the problem.
Liu Xu shook his head. "Yuan Yizhi is still an unmarried woman. Probably she has some difficulty she can't speak of, so she doesn't want to go to Prostrate Peak to find Fire Dragon True Person. Sanlang Temple also didn't greet the Chongxuan Office's Yang Heavenly Lord. At first, the Sanlang Temple ancestor wanted to discuss this behind her back, but Yuan Yizhi, who had anticipated it, had already laid down some harsh words. The Yuan ancestor had to give up. No one can out-stubborn her."
Chen Ping'an was even more confused. "Then why did you think to come to me?"
Fire Dragon True Person and Chongxuan Office's Yang Heavenly Lord are men. Am I a woman?
Well, on the Sword Qi Great Wall battlefield, the young Hidden Official had indeed disguised himself as a female sword cultivator. It was originally well hidden, but somehow it leaked out later.
If it was a strange nightmare that had damaged her Dao heart, Chen Ping'an's first thought was that Lu Chen could help "interpret dreams"—he was sure he could handle it easily.
Unfortunately, Lu Zhangjiao had already returned to the Green Banner Heaven. Another option was his student Cui Dongshan, who was very accomplished in the way of spirits. But if Yuan Yizhi didn't want male cultivators to help, it would be very troublesome.
Otherwise, Xiao Mo's "extracting silk from a cocoon" was also a superb skill.
Liu Xu said, "That old turtle who calls himself Black River Great King uses the Old Dragon Lair as his dojo. He raised a pair of golden Luo fish that are old enough, saying they are his daughter's dowry. In the Old Dragon Lair alone, the old turtle raised them for eight hundred years. They are probably the ancestors of all Luo fish. But according to some small rumors, when you went to the Ghost Valley that year, the old turtle returned to his temple cultivation. The Sanlang Temple Yuan ancestor personally went to ask, and only then learned that the fish had been stolen—along with the celadon water vessel that served as their tank. The old turtle was helpless, only saying he couldn't help."
"As for that little turtle who calls herself Fuhai Yuanjun, and a very precious mother copper coin from the Old Dragon Lair—they also mysteriously disappeared back then, and their whereabouts are still unknown. The old turtle even begged Yuan ancestor to help find his daughter."
"Those were supposed to be her dowry, so it's unlikely she was the thief. If she eloped with someone, given how that little turtle looks after taking human form... the one who could stomach that would have to be a first-rate hero. I'd like to meet such a person."
Hearing this, Chen Ping'an understood and looked a bit embarrassed.
The upright and righteous Mountain Lord Chen had a few things he preferred not to mention. Apart from pretending to be a female cultivator on the Sword Qi Great Wall, most incidents occurred in Northern Jambu Continent. Besides the Ghost Valley trip, there was being invited to a poetry duel by mountain spirits, and then doing business with Senior Sun in that immortal's relic site... Back then he was still young, and he thought the world was vast and far from home—who would know or remember what he did?
Back then, when I traveled Northern Jambu Continent, I was just an honest peddler, occasionally picking up scraps. How is that comparable to that black-robed scholar who never missed a chance to steal and left nothing behind?
That trip to the Ghost Valley, he had been scheming all along with that "wild cultivator" who claimed to be Yang Mu Mao, a remnant of Yang Ningxing's three corpses—they both worked together to make money and found ways to cheat each other.
One was "Yang Mu Mao, the swordsman who can't ignore injustice," the other was "Chen the Good Samaritan who faints at the sight of blood."
As for their last reunion, it was already in the Flying Ascension City of the Five Colors Heaven.
Chen Ping'an said, "Yuan Xuan, regarding the whereabouts of that pair of Luo fish, I only have a clue for now, but I can't confirm anything yet. I can ask about it for you right now. Just wait for my news."
The Three-Mountain Mirror, the pair of golden Luo fish from the Old Dragon Lair, and that priceless mother coin—which had been personally cast by a hidden immortal of the Qingde Sect—plus many other gains—all of them had been taken by the black-robed scholar "Yang Mu Mao" through looting in the Ghost Valley. He made it look easy.
Compared to Chen the Good Samaritan, who moved slowly, picking up small scraps here and there, earning hard money, it was no contest.
Although Chen Ping'an didn't yet know the whereabouts of that little turtle and the pair of Luo fish, he guessed they were inevitably connected to the Xiaoyun Palace.
Moreover, he was now nominally a boxing instructor for a prince of the Dayuan Dynasty.
In fact, after that little turtle defected to Yang Mu Mao, she did obtain a landscape blessing. As the black-robed scholar said by the river, he had a large pile of imperial decrees of enfeoffment at home, sealed with the jade seal of the court—just need to fill in a name, and you could go to office as a legitimate mountain or river god. According to the agreement, or rather threatened by the ruthless Yang Mu Mao, the little turtle dared not reveal her whereabouts after leaving the Ghost Valley. As for the two Luo fish, her "dowry," they had nothing to do with her anymore—not even a coin's worth. They were now kept in a pond at the Chongxuan Office.
Many worldly affairs and human hearts—after all the twists and turns, they end up back at the starting point.
Yuan Xuan cupped his fists in thanks.
On the way, Uncle Liu had said: either the Second Shopkeeper doesn't agree, but if he does, the matter is settled.
Chen Ping'an smiled and said not to be so formal—he was already an old customer of Sanlang Temple.
Yuan Xuan asked curiously why he said that, and Chen Ping'an brought up Sword Immortal Liu and the matter of buying two spirit armor pieces.
When Yuan Xuan asked the price, he nodded and said his great-aunt's reputation was indeed big. If he had to haggle himself, he would have to spend a dozen more Guyu coins.
Chen Ping'an was familiar with the Great Li capital, having been to Liulichang before. It was just the right time for a meal, so he took them to a nearby restaurant.
Hearing from Yuan Xuan that Uncle Liu was already the family head, Chen Ping'an quickly congratulated him. He hadn't planned to drink, but he got a few flasks of wine from the restaurant, and the dining table turned into a drinking table.
The Luo Ma River Liu Clan had a total of sixteen branches, each producing talent. Unlike ordinary wealthy families, the Liu clan was famous across the continent for their way of making money and thrifty household management. They had money, but they weren't extravagant. However, Liu Xu was unwilling to take over that family business, preferring to focus on practicing swordsmanship.
When he was at the Nascent Soul realm, he went to the Sword Qi Great Wall, saying he wanted to break through the bottleneck to the Upper Five Realms.
But the elders in the Liu clan ancestral hall all furrowed their brows—they feared he wouldn't get along there, and even more feared that even if he broke through to the Jade Pure realm, one day Northern Jambu Continent would need a continent-wide sacrifice of swords.
So when Liu Xu returned home, his grandfather's first words to this grandson were: "Fine, don't be the family head then."
Unexpectedly, at a clan ancestral hall meeting, he used a single intercontinental ferry to exchange for a "talented" family head that everyone approved of.
Liu Xu liked to drink, but he always drank slowly, rarely in large gulps. He never downed it in one go.
At home, it was like this; on the Sword Qi Great Wall, it was the same.
I'm already a rich man; why pretend otherwise?
Northern Jambu Continent had the most sword cultivators, the strongest craving for alcohol, and the best drinking capacity. At the drinking table, there were no taboos. Besides, on the Sword Qi Great Wall, they directly called Dong San'geng, Qi Tingji, and others by name. Outsider sword cultivators followed local customs, so there was nothing they dared not say or couldn't say.
Probably the Second Shopkeeper had long heard about Liu Xu's family background and knew he was the young master of the Luo Ma River Liu Clan. As the drinkers (who were also accomplices) put it, it was like a fat, plump pig running around in front of the Second Shopkeeper's door. If he didn't lunge forward and stab it, he wouldn't be worthy of that pig.
So when the wine shop first opened and business wasn't booming yet, he always wanted to treat Liu Xu as some wealthy bumpkin with money to burn. He asked if he wanted to be a partner—there was a way, guaranteed to make money without loss. Later, Liu Xu was so annoyed by Chen Ping'an's pestering that he told Chen Ping'an openly: when he went out, he never had the habit of bringing money. Go find some other sucker; looking for me was a mistake.
After that, the Second Shopkeeper often invited him—not paid, just to squat by the roadside and drink together. It seemed he truly regarded Liu Xu as a poor wretch who would only have money after returning to inherit the family business.
Liu Xu hadn't lied. Other than sword practice, he didn't care about anything else.
His family worried that he might need immortal money for sword forging in unfamiliar lands, so they regularly sent money to the Spring Banners Studio in Daoshan Mountain. But Liu Xu never went to collect it. Later they sent it directly to Sun Juyuan's residence, but Liu Xu still pretended not to know. Sun Juyuan told him, "Your family has money deposited at my place," and Liu Xu said he didn't need it—just keep it there.
In the end, even after Liu Xu left the Sword Qi Great Wall, he never took a single immortal coin from either the Spring Banners Studio or Sun Juyuan's private residence.
The reason he went to that wine shop as soon as it opened was that he hoped to taste something of his homeland's wine there. As for the result—it's hard to say.
A gambling game with ten people, eight of them accomplices, one was the banker Chen Ping'an, and only one was left complaining about his bad luck, saying he'd definitely make big money next time.
Today, since the table had opened for drinking, Fan Yu, the female Distant Travel realm grandmaster, filled a large bowl with wine and actively toasted Mountain Lord Chen. She drank it all in one go.
It turned out that she had been saved by Zheng Qian once when she broke through on the Great River battlefield in Precious Bottle Continent. To be precise, Fan Yu was grabbed by the shoulder by Zheng Qian and thrown out of that deadly encirclement.
Fan Yu only later learned that the martial arts senior nicknamed "Zheng Qingming" was actually Mountain Lord Chen's first disciple, and her real name was Pei Qian.
Having become a teacher himself, Chen Ping'an now most enjoyed hearing others talk about this.
After eating and drinking, Liu Wuding spoke the least but drank the most. The old sword cultivator got thoroughly drunk, staggering as he walked and refusing help.
Yuan Xuan knew well that this was because Grandpa Liu had practiced swords all his life but had never been to the Sword Qi Great Wall.
So today, bowl after bowl of wine at the table, the old man drank nothing but the guilt that welled up from his heart into the wine bowl.
His face flushed red, not just from the alcohol, but also from facing this young man from the Sword Qi Great Wall—the last Hidden Official, also an outsider. The old man's heart was empty, and his face reddened.
Such is the world: drunkenness leaves one speechless, embarrassment and difficulty—this body cannot help itself.
Earlier at the table, midway through, the old man said he wanted to toast the Hidden Official. Chen Ping'an smiled and said no need, calling himself a junior, and proactively toasted the old man with a bowl of wine.
After that, the old man drank silently and became even more subdued.
Liu Xu raised his elbow and gently tapped Chen Ping'an beside him, signaling him to comfort Old Liu. "Second Shopkeeper, you're best at this. See if you can help untie his knot."
Back then at that small wine shop, the Second Shopkeeper could talk at length without a script, bragging without taking a breath. All those squatting by the roadside drinking enjoyed listening to him for free.
Chen Ping'an shook his head. Why rub salt into an old sword cultivator's wound?
Besides, if he hadn't been to the Sword Qi Great Wall, he hadn't been. I don't manage heaven or earth—I don't care about your reasons or difficulties.
So earlier at the table, if you wanted to toast "Mountain Lord Chen" or even call him by name "Chen Ping'an," it was fine. I'm a junior in the mountain cultivation world—I'll drink it, and I'll even return the toast.
But you, Liu Wuding, used the title "Hidden Official," and you're a sword cultivator from Northern Jambu Continent—sorry, I'm not familiar with you.
Liu Xu said through sound transmission, "You know the Mirage Tower, right? Several qi refiners came to drink with me at the wine shop. They weren't from a sword sect, not even a 'sect' level, but they lost many direct disciples on the Sword Qi Great Wall. Liu Wuding was once a direct disciple of the Mirage Tower, almost becoming the sect master. But because he stood up for someone and had a sword duel with the Market Sea, injuring many of their sword cultivators, he was expelled from the sect. Otherwise, when he broke through to Golden Core back then, he would have crossed Daoshan for the Sword Qi Great Wall."
Liu Xu was silent for a moment, watching the old man's dejected figure ahead, and continued, "Liu Wuding felt he had already repaid his debt to the Yuan clan. Not long ago, he resigned as the top retainer of Sanlang Temple and plans to go alone to the Barbarian Heaven. Yuan Xuan doesn't know this yet, and Liu Wuding didn't intend to tell him. Liu Wuding still doesn't know that it was his master, the sect leader, who deliberately orchestrated it with the Market Sea, hoping that this good seedling would stay in Northern Jambu Continent to train in swordsmanship. One day, he might reach the Upper Five Realms. Whether or not he was a registered cultivator of the Mirage Tower sect didn't matter. Because his master knew clearly that with this disciple's temperament, as a Golden Core sword cultivator carrying the identity of the next Mirage Tower sect leader, once he reached the Sword Qi Great Wall, he would never return alive."
Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment, then rubbed his face with both hands, nodded, and walked over to the old man. He transmitted his voice, "Senior Liu, there are two qi refiners from Northern Jambu Continent. One is a sword cultivator from the Xin Dan Island Market Sea sect, named Yu He, a Golden Core sword cultivator. The other is a direct disciple of the Mirage Tower sect leader, named Gao Jie, a peak master of the Dengxian Peak. They often go together to drink at the shop. I always wondered how two disciples from feuding sects could drink together. Once when we were drinking, I overheard them chatting. Yu He said it was his fault first—he wronged Gao Jie's senior uncle, causing him to be expelled from the sect. The other started cursing up a storm, saying, 'If Uncle Liu hadn't been exposed by you, he would have been our sect leader long ago. Northern Jambu Continent would have had one more Jade Pure realm sword cultivator, and Mount Ai Ai would be lower than us. You, Yu He, have no skill but a loose tongue—I'll drink you to death... This round, whoever's the bastard pays. Second Shopkeeper, bring two more jugs of good wine.'"
The old man listened carefully, then was silent for a moment before laughing. "All youthful passions—no real right or wrong."
"Senior, if your heart really aches, how about I curse you a few times? I'm very good at that—a hundred lines to start, no repeats."
"..."
"Come on, old Sword Immortal Liu, let's have a drink by ourselves."
Calling a Nascent Soul realm sword cultivator a "sword immortal" was one thing, but "old Sword Immortal Liu" was even more excessive.
"Let's leave it at that for now."
"There's a going and a coming back."
"Then it's a deal with the Hidden Official!"
I'll try my best.
Try to come back next year and drink the wine left over from this year.
Liu Xu's journey south was simply to have a drink with Chen Ping'an, nothing more. Drinking with a friend was a proper business, wasn't it?
So after drinking, Liu Xu planned to go to Old Dragon City on his own. There was some mountain business to discuss with the Fu family. As for going to Falling Mountain—he'd see how he felt.
Yuan Xuan and the other two had already gained what they came for, so they could return home with a clear conscience. They just needed to go to the immortal inn Chen Ping'an had recommended to send a flying-sword message to their family with the good news.
Liu Wuding would escort Yuan Xuan back to Sanlang Temple, then head to the Barbarian Heaven and visit the Sword Qi Great Wall ruins.
Liu Xu followed them to the inn to settle in. Yuan Xuan laughed, "Uncle Liu, Mountain Lord Chen really treats you as a friend."
Liu Xu asked with a smile, "How do you figure?"
Yuan Xuan said, "I heard that inn has a reputation for fleecing customers. Its reputation among mountain cultivators is average."
Liu Xu said, "Whether he treats me as a friend is hard to say. I suspect Chen Ping'an has a share in that inn."
Fan Yu said, "That can't be."
Liu Xu said, "You think it can't be because you don't know Chen Ping'an well enough yet."
Fan Yu became even more puzzled. "Then how did you two become such good friends?"
It couldn't be that one likes to cheat acquaintances in business, and the other likes to be treated as a sucker because they have too much money.
Liu Xu said calmly, "To us sword cultivators, what is money?"
A northbound immortal ferry was suddenly boarded by cultivators claiming to be retainers of the Great Li Ministry of Justice. They told Bai Deng to immediately go to the Great Li capital, saying the Ministry of Rites wanted to discuss filling the vacancy for the Iron Talisman River God.
Bai Deng had previously gone out with the ghost creature Silver Deer and Gao Jing, the direct disciple of Jing Hao. Little did he expect that upon returning, he would become the Iron Talisman River God.
Gao Jing and Silver Deer both congratulated Bai Deng. The Great Li Ministry of Rites said "discuss," but what was there to discuss? Wasn't it obvious?
When they first left Falling Mountain, the sky was high and the earth vast—their hearts were elated!
At least they now had the great freedom of "Today I can choose not to drink and not drink!"
Bai Deng, a Jade Pure realm sword cultivator, had a dragon-like Dao foundation, originating from a "former imperial palace" of old mountain days—one of the terrestrial dragon palaces of the ancient Shu region.
Although the marine and terrestrial dragon palaces of yore were as numerous as the hairs on an ox, with countless dragon sons and grandsons, their bloodlines were complex. Not everyone could be called a "true dragon."
Earlier, while on the mountain, they had been inexplicably dispatched once to a small vassal state south of the Great River. A trivial task. Gao Jing was very familiar with the customs and officialdom of the Haoran World; the ghost creature, the lowest in realm, had plenty of crooked ideas and bad advice, more than enough to serve as a dog-headed strategist. And with Bai Deng's identity as a sword cultivator and his Jade Pure realm, the mission was executed flawlessly—watertight and perfect.
Since Fellow Daoist Bai was about to ascend to a high-ranking god of the continent, they definitely should have had drinks to celebrate. The ferry had several kinds of immortal brews, but the three of them tacitly avoided the topic.
Gathered in Bai Deng's room, Gao Jing transmitted his voice: "Brother Bai becoming the Iron Talisman River God—there's only one drawback: it ties him deeply to the fate of the Great Li Song clan."
Silver Deer smiled. "First grab the rare great bargain that comes once in a thousand years. As for the Song clan's fate, we'll talk later."
Gao Jing said, "Unless—"
Silver Deer also smiled and said "Unless"—they understood each other perfectly and exchanged smiles.
Unless that Mountain Lord Chen becomes the Great Li state preceptor.
Of course, for Bai Deng to smoothly obtain the Great Li court's enfeoffment and become a legitimate mountain-and-river god, he still needed to walk a "divine path."
But just as in the previous discussion in the imperial study, Minister of Rites Zhao Duanjin had asked: would there be any unexpected problems on Bai Deng's path to becoming a water god? Instead of asking "how likely is success," he already knew that Bai Deng's path to godhood would be smooth as long as there were no major accidents.
This was the innate advantage of dragon bloodlines when being enfeoffed as gods: shedding the mortal shell, forging a golden body, building temples, enjoying incense offerings, and finally successfully ascending to the realm of mountain-and-river gods. For human qi refiners, it was the most difficult path—there was no harder one.
For Bai Deng, who had seen the light of day again, because every drink was shared at the same table with a certain someone, he no longer had any desire to go to the Central Plain's White Emperor City to "leap over the dragon gate."
Settling for the next best, becoming a legitimate river god enfeoffed by the Great Li court—his first choice was the Great Li capital region, his second the Northern March territory. The heavier the dragon aura, the better. He didn't consider anything else.
And indeed, Bai Deng got his wish—his dream came true.
Fu Decheng of Pishan returned to his Daoist site from the Great Li capital and encountered a wandering Daoist who called himself "Daoist Zixing." The young Daoist, who only gave his style name and not his real name, entered the majestic mountain god temple—the subsidiary mountain of the Central March—but did not burn incense. He just stood outside the main hall and called out to the Pishan Mountain God with his mind, saying, "Little Dao has encountered a difficulty; please, Mountain God, meet me for a talk."
The shady Daoist, who dared not even reveal his real name, said he came from a small school "where, counting back from my generation, there is only one master," but he deeply admired Pishan, beyond measure, and wanted to consult with Mountain God Fu about "borrowing" a Daoist scripture to enshrine properly... Fu Decheng had just returned from a trip to the Great Li capital and was in a good mood. He saw that the young Daoist, though verbose, had some humor in his speech. So he stepped out of his golden body and sealed off a quiet space to avoid alarming the worshippers inside the hall. Unwilling to let the man go empty-handed, he tossed a copy of the "Yellow Court Classic"—a book even mortals could buy—to the Daoist. But since it was an old copy from his own study, it had absorbed some refined incense essence.
But the Daoist didn't appreciate it, nor did he recognize its value. Seeing only the title, he started complaining that it wasn't a mountain immortals' scripture and wasn't worth much. He tossed it back to Mountain God Fu. Not only that, but he also pulled out a Daoist scripture from his robe, saying, "You're such a high-ranking mountain god, yet so stingy—how disappointing. Even though I'm poor, I still prepared a generous gift when visiting..." Cursing and muttering, the young Daoist threw the book to Fu Decheng and angrily left Pishan. But with a thud, he banged his head against the incense-laden mountain-and-river barrier. Fu Decheng had to smile and apologize, opening the barrier to let him out politely.
As for that "Daoist scripture" given in exchange, Fu Decheng didn't take it; he just let it float in the air. After the Daoist left the mountain, Fu Decheng waved his sleeve and moved the book to a storeroom for miscellaneous items.
But within moments, his immediate superior, Jin Qing of Chezishan, arrived in the Pishan main hall with a grim face, and snapped, "Fu Decheng, have you taken the wrong medicine? Are you planning a rebellion?!"
Fu Decheng was completely bewildered, having no idea why Mountain Lord Jin was interrogating him so severely. Jin Qing saw the startled expression on Mountain God Fu, lightly stomped his foot on the hall's blue bricks, connecting to the mountain's roots. After a moment, his expression grew even more grave. "Do you know that just now, the entire fortune of Chezishan and the water luck of the Yong River were both being led by the nose by your Pishan?!"
Fu Decheng was even more confused, shaking his head. "I truly do not know."
Jin Qing asked, "Didn't you notice anything strange?"
Fu Decheng thought for a moment. "Just now, there was a Daoist from outside who called himself 'Zixing.' He came to ask me for a Daoist scripture to take back and enshrine. He thought the book I gave him wasn't valuable, so he instead gave me a Daoist scripture. The cover had no title, just two characters: 'Zixing' (self-reflection). I took him for one of those fame-seeking Daoists who wanted to come to my Pishan and get a favorable comment on his own writing to make a name among the mountains."
Jin Qing said gravely, "Where is the book?!"
Fu Decheng said, "I casually threw it into the storeroom."
Jin Qing asked, "Great Mountain God Fu, may I beg you to bring that Daoist scripture here for me to see?"
Fu Decheng, a bit embarrassed, moved the scripture back to the main hall. Jin Qing didn't even dare to open the book casually. He left it floating in the air and looked closely. The cover of the ordinary-material scripture only had the two characters "Zixing," but the "Zi" character seemed written with golden ink, like a golden thread, while the "Xing" character appeared to be written with an emerald-green ink. Jin Qing held his breath, brought two fingers together, and gently traced the two characters on the cover. As if touching a red-hot coal, he swiftly withdrew his fingers and shook his sleeve vigorously. This Central March mountain lord sneered, "Sure enough, it's this book causing trouble!"
But within the entire Pishan territory, even including the Northern March territory, there was no trace of that Daoist.
Jin Qing shot a sidelong glance at the stunned Mountain God Fu, then refocused his gaze on the book title. "Fu Decheng, try opening the book."
Fu Decheng nodded and carefully reached out to turn the page, but the Daoist scripture wouldn't budge. Even when he used his mountain-god abilities to their fullest, he still couldn't open the book.
Jin Qing suddenly laughed. "Good one! 'Jisheng Wooden Rooster.' The man deliberately teased you like this, and you're the one who always says you admire him the most. The 'silk thread' in 'Zi' is 'Ji,' and the 'sheng' in 'Xing' is 'Sheng'—together it's 'Jisheng'! Where does 'Jisheng Wooden Rooster' first come from? You, Fu Decheng, should know. So, Great Mountain God Fu, tell me yourself—who do you think gave you this Daoist scripture?"
Fu Decheng suddenly understood.
He had actually met Lu Zhangjiao?
No wonder the man hadn't burned incense. If Lu Zhangjiao had truly offered three sticks of incense to the golden statue in the main hall, Fu Decheng feared the statue would have toppled in greeting.
Earlier, when Fu Decheng was at Chen State Preceptor's place in the Great Li capital, why had he deliberately called Lu Zhangjiao by name? Wasn't it because he harbored the faint hope of seeking a chance?
Jin Qing said impatiently, "Hurry up. I don't have time to watch you make a fool of yourself."
Fu Decheng whispered, "I beg Mountain Lord to enlighten me."
Jin Qing laughed angrily. "Quickly say something nice to that Daoist scripture! The man is definitely still listening."
Fu Decheng quickly took three steps back, made a deep bow to the floating scripture, and said, "Fu Decheng of Pishan respectfully welcomes the Daoist scripture to the mountain."
Sure enough, the scripture flew by itself into Fu Decheng's sleeve.
Jin Qing smiled. "Enviable. Makes me envious."
Fu Decheng smiled awkwardly.
Jin Qing retracted his mountain domain and returned to the Chezishan temple. Indeed, the strange celestial phenomenon in the Central March territory had dissipated.
Fu Decheng sighed with emotion. The friendship between Lu Zhangjiao and Mr. Chen was clearly not ordinary.
The mountain god lifted his sleeve. This Daoist scripture gifted by Lu Zhangjiao was truly heavy.
In the entire mountain god hall, only Mountain God Fu Decheng himself didn't know that behind the divine statue, there was a Daoist who had come back. He moved slowly with the crowd, his hands clasped in front, shaking as he walked, muttering to himself, hoping the mountain god would bless a smooth and safe journey for little Dao.
After Lu Chen silently left Pishan, he went to the boundary stone of Zhengyang Mountain. Before returning to the Green Banner Heaven, he also went to the heart of a certain female cultivator in Northern Jambu Continent—a dreamwalk.
Lu Chen casually captured that dream demon, whose realm was still passable, and tucked it into his sleeve. Then he ascended the sky curtain to truly return to the White Jade Capital.
Inside Nanhua City, Lu Chen sat in his dojo, raised his arm, and used both hands to adjust the Daoist crown on his head, taking a deep breath.
Lu Chen didn't even dare to just split off a sliver of his mind or send out his yin spirit. Instead, he used his true body to walk into the void and begin a true journey upstream against time.
In the central part of Pterocarpus Leaf Continent, at the Fish Scale Ferry outside the capital of Cloud Rock State, the ferry crossing had two banks. On one side were high-rise buildings with red lanterns and private homes of the wealthy; on the other were small eateries that weren't particularly cheap or tasty either.
In the deep night, the customers on this side of the river gradually thinned, and the eateries closed one after another. Across the way, the lights grew brighter, with a constant stream of carriages and horses.
A white-robed sword immortal and a yellow-robed old man sat facing each other, having ordered a few local snacks and some barley wine. The latter asked with a smile, "Are the wealthy people in the Haoran World all night owls?"
Mi Yu, who rarely left the ferry, laughed. "I'm not from here, and I don't have much money either. Otherwise, I'd treat Fellow Daoist Nen to a pleasure party on the other side."
Nen Daoren laughed. "What's the fun in a pleasure party? It's all just drinking away money. I'd rather admire those poor scholars in books who go to the capital for exams—they only need their mouths to fool people."
Mi Yu just smiled and let it go.
Strangely, back home, he always thought about women. Here, he didn't seem to have those thoughts anymore.
Was he just getting old?
Or was it really the principle that Old Cook Zhu had mentioned?
A book with plain language, a smooth story, and a few clever phrases—that's like thunder on flat ground.
If it's just piled-up flowery words, it's far worse than a plate of pickles with congee. The same goes for looking at women.
This drinking session between Mi Yu and Nen Daoren lasted until dawn.
The restaurant owner, of course, only stayed for the money. He had received a few Snowflake Coins, so he went to sleep, knowing that even if the two guests tore down the shop, it wouldn't be worth one immortal coin.
During the session, Nen Daoren even went to the kitchen to cook a few dishes for Great Sword Immortal Mi to go with the wine.
Early this morning, Li Huai arrived at the mountain gate of Falling Mountain, accompanied by a fox spirit named Wei Taizhen, who wore a bamboo rain hat.
Li Huai wanted to travel to the Barbarian Heaven and had already asked for leave from the Cliff Academy. The mountain master had approved.
Mainly, he was thinking about that old blind man, who still didn't even have a surname or a name, still alone in the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Even though they had become master and disciple in a muddle-headed way, the thought of the old man alone there made Li Huai feel uncomfortable. He wanted to go see him.
So this time, since Chen Ping'an had called him to Falling Mountain, Li Huai wanted to say goodbye in person.
No matter who, no matter the relationship, if they were close, Li Huai would try to bid farewell when parting.
It wasn't about mountain or mundane worlds, distance or duration—a parting is always a parting.
The current gatekeeper of Falling Mountain was a young, unfamiliar Daoist.
Suddenly, a white-haired kid popped up, claiming to be the registrar of Falling Mountain, the Hidden Official's trusted colleague from the Sword Qi Great Wall, Mountain Lord Chen's number one fierce general...
Li Huai's companion, Wei Taizhen, didn't even dare to look up at the mountain gate archway.
For monsters and spirits, no matter if they were from the Barbarian Heaven, hearing the title "Hidden Official" would make them feel a chill.
And Wei Taizhen was standing at the foot of Falling Mountain.
Her father—the old fox who used to impersonate the local land god at Treasure Mirror Mountain—had seen Wei Taizhen last time. By gathering landscape bulletins and some old clues, he had traced the matter and learned that the man who almost became his son-in-law back then was none other than the current Mountain Lord Chen of Falling Mountain on the Precious Bottle Continent. The old fox was furious, beating his chest and stamping his feet, so angry he was almost fuming. "That bastard Yang ruined me! Damn it! When I reach a higher realm and become a mountain god, I'll slap him to death! What a great marriage! Because of his meddling, it slipped right through my fingers! And you're to blame too—you didn't listen to your father's advice back then. Forget it, forget it. Mountain Lord Chen, Great Sword Immortal Chen—someone as great as that, our humble family can't reach that high. You're not worthy of him either. Ah, no, that's not right! Men and women, marriage—how many talented scholars and beautiful women are really matched in status?"
Thinking of this, Wei Taizhen's head ached. She looked through the thin veil of her hat at the scholar beside her.
When the white-haired kid heard that the fox spirit was at the Nascent Soul realm, his interest noticeably waned when he recorded it. But she was at least at Middle Five Realms—still a bit better than Upper Five Realms.
Then he asked about Li Huai's realm. Hearing that he was neither a qi refiner nor a martial artist, the white-haired kid grinned from ear to ear, as if he had struck gold just a few steps out the door!
Of course, the white-haired kid recognized Li Huai.
Wei Taizhen braced herself and said timidly, "Immortal Master Konghou, my young master is a worthy man of the academy."
The white-haired kid put away his paper and brush, put his hands on his hips, and grinned. "My goodness, a worthy man! Amazing, amazing! Young and promising!"
Li Huai wished he could dig a hole and bury himself.
He quickly changed the subject. "Has Pei Qian returned?"
The white-haired kid led Li Huai to a table to sit. "No, that little darkie Pei is still busy with big affairs in Pterocarpus Leaf Continent."
Nowadays, Pei Qian was no longer a little darkie. The white-haired kid was rather annoyed about that—why couldn't they all stay as dwarf eggplants? Why did she have to grow taller?
Li Huai asked, "And Uncle Zheng?"
The white-haired kid sat cross-legged, cracking sunflower seeds by himself. "Every day with nothing to do, he goes to chat with Old Cook. He calls it discussing scholarship, but it's just two bachelors talking dirty—boobs here, butts there. I can't stand listening to it."
Taking that green-robed kid, watching so many mirror-flower-water-moon shows every day without tossing a few immortal coins... but family scandals shouldn't be aired, so the white-haired kid didn't have the face to mention it.
Li Huai, being a native of the town, was pretty used to this kind of talk.
But the fox spirit beside him was absolutely mortified.
Jiang Shangzhen didn't return to Falling Mountain with the others. Instead, he first went to the Long Spring Palace, then asked Mountain Lord Wei to pull him back to the Niujiao Mountain ferry.
He had just returned to Falling Mountain and hadn't yet reached Old Cook's residence when he saw a tall, slender woman in a white robe standing on the path—the law-keeper.
Jiang Shangzhen smiled and cupped his fists. "Law-Keeper Changming."
Changming nodded and smiled. "So good to see Chief Zhou."
Jiang Shangzhen asked, "Law-Keeper Changming, is something the matter?"
Changming said, "Just passing by."
Jiang Shangzhen nodded.
He didn't want to chat with her.
In Falling Mountain, perhaps besides the mountain lord, everyone was more or less afraid of her to some degree.
She suddenly said with a smile, "Chief Zhou, I heard you said two things about me. The first: 'On our Falling Mountain, I, Zhou, like Fellow Daoist Changming the most.' The second: 'When Law-Keeper sister narrows her eyes and smiles, men's hearts tremble three times.' I didn't expect to have such beauty in your eyes, Chief Zhou, or to receive such high praise. I'm flattered."
Jiang Shangzhen's scalp tingled. He knew this was bad and quickly clarified, "Fellow Daoist Changming, those were just jokes over drinks! Don't take them seriously!"
Old Brother Jia was tight-lipped and wouldn't let such things spread. It must have been that loose-tongued elder, Chen Lingjun.
The flow of worldly wealth—the path of money—seemed intangible, but to peak cultivators, this path was real.
Why else would Mountain Lord Chen have his own law-keeping patriarch sit on the Phoenix Kite ferry?
If he offended Sister Changming, she would only need to make a trip to the Cloud Grotto Blessed Land, and even with Ni Yuanzan's three-legged golden toad working hard to gather wealth, it would probably be unsustainable.
Although Changming's appearance wasn't the kind that could topple cities, honestly, the womanly charm of Sister Changming was truly... rare, very rare.
Jiang Shangzhen had his own way of evaluating beauties in the world, with seven or eight categories of pluses and minuses, extremely rigorous.
On a hundred-coin scale, Changming's beauty alone might be worth eighty coins. But add her unique charm, and she was at least a ninety-five-coin level!
But Jiang Shangzhen knew very well that a woman like Changming was destined not to fall in love with anyone.
Falling flowers have feelings, but flowing water is heartless. All men's wishes are like the green hills and the setting sun—can't chase them, can't keep them.
Since it had come to this, Jiang Shangzhen had to use his trump card to save his own skin.
On Falling Mountain, Jiang Shangzhen then actually used a technique to isolate heaven and earth. "Do you know whether the mountain lord knows something?"
Changming nodded. "I know that the young master knows, but he must use a certain method to pretend he doesn't know."
Their question and answer were both quite convoluted.
This involved a very important—even a top priority—secret of the two branches.
Observing the Dao of heaven and earth.
Treating the Lotus Flower Blessed Land as a world with a complete and orderly Dao cycle.
For example: where did the first sword cultivator in heaven and earth come from, and why did he become what he was?
If the mountain lord observes the Dao in this way, he may not catch a clear thread, but if he succeeds, it will greatly benefit Chen Ping'an's Dao.
This was similar to what Senior Sun said to the fat man Yan in the Xuan Capital Temple: "Think about the question: Why are there only sword cultivators in the world?"—the same principle.
But outsiders cannot remind Chen Ping'an of this. Not even with roundabout hints or side comments—not even a single word.
Otherwise, it's like someone forcibly handing Chen Ping'an a bamboo basket and telling him to draw water from the river to catch the moon—it would only be in vain.
So Cui Dongshan could only fret on the sidelines, not daring to give even a hint to his teacher, lest he spoil it.
Jiang Shangzhen sighed with relief and smiled. "If that's the case, then that's for the best!"
In the Green Banner Heaven, the Xuan Capital Temple received a flying-sword letter from the White Jade Capital.
The sender was Lu Chen, who had just returned to the Green Banner Heaven. The recipient was Bai Ye, who was forging a sword in the Xuan Capital Temple.
Bai Ye read the secret letter and then went to inform Jun Qian, who was visiting the temple. "Let's go back to the Haoran World together. Your little junior brother has invited you to Falling Mountain."
And Lu Chen's letter said that this trip of theirs to journey through the flying-ascension sky curtain—the White Jade Capital wouldn't interfere, no need to report.
Liu Shiliu laughed and asked, "The little junior brother only called for me. Why are you following? Have the White Jade Capital kicked you out, saying you're causing trouble here?"
Bai Ye said, "According to Lu Chen's explanation, it's an exchange with the Haoran World. I return home, and a sword cultivator named Xiao Mo comes here as a guest, to visit the Bright Moon Splendor and reminisce with our Master-Uncle Guan Zhu. Whenever I return to the Green Banner Heaven, that sword cultivator will return to the Haoran World."
Bai Ye's sword practice was actually very simple. Especially after breaking through to the Jade Pure realm, not long after, he had already reached the Immortal realm.
He had countless immortal poems, among which was a line: "An immortal stroked my crown, and I was bound in hair to receive longevity."
One day earlier, while watching half a pond of blue lotuses, Bai Ye had a sudden insight. He went into seclusion for just a moment—about half a stick of incense—and then a celestial phenomenon occurred.
Hair grew and formed a crown, and an immortal appeared above.
Walking out of the still-open door, Bai Ye was already an immortal sword cultivator.
But cultivators who reached the Immortal realm could change their true appearance, yet Bai Ye didn't do so; he remained in his youthful form.
Liu Shiliu looked at the "youth's" tiger-head hat and asked with a smile, "How do you explain this?"
Bai Ye rubbed his hat. "Seems like I've gotten used to wearing it."
Liu Shiliu said, "Let's be clear from now on. This time, if you see my teacher, you must not show disrespect in front of me."
"Not in front?"
"Not even behind!"
In the Central Plain's White Emperor City.
"Two" Zheng Juzhong, both of whom were Fourteen Realm cultivators, stood side by side in a sort of Taixu realm. He had personally painted a vast, boundless star atlas.
In between, he had also constructed a Sword Contemplation Pavilion. From the Haoran World, the Sword Qi Great Wall, and the Barbarian Heaven, the intrinsic flying swords of countless sword cultivators throughout history were densely arranged within.
One person watched the heavens, the other looked at the sword diagram.
His master, Chen Qingliu, had once uniquely refused to teach sword techniques to him, his first disciple.
As for the other so-called direct disciples, their aptitudes were insufficient. For example, the little disciple Liu Daochun—even if Chen Qingliu taught him, it would be meaningless. He couldn't learn his sword techniques. Not even close to form, and even achieving likeness in shape would be difficult.
Zheng Juzhong had no resentment about this whatsoever. No grudge at all.
If the teacher doesn't teach this dao, can't the disciple teach himself?
In the Green Banner Heaven, a remote and small Daoist temple.
An old man and a youth, related by blood, lived together depending on each other. Early on, with money to pave the way, they barely obtained the status of permanent resident Daoists, but without registered lineage ordination. Because the youth was lazy, the old man did all the sweeping and the morning and evening bells in the temple. The youth called the old man Uncle Chang, who nagged a lot. The youth, surnamed Chen, just let it go in one ear and out the other.
In the night, reading by the lamp, the light was dim and yellow. An old man named Chang Geng was explaining in detail to the youth, named Chen Cong, the meaning of a line: "The gentleman respects what lies within himself and does not covet what lies in heaven—thus he daily advances."
After hearing Uncle Chang's explanation, the youth couldn't help asking, "Uncle Chang, isn't this Confucian knowledge? Aren't you breaking taboos teaching me this?"
The old man nodded, picked a peanut from the plate, tossed it into his mouth, and chewed slowly, crunching. The lampwick flickered as he laughed. "It comes from a treatise on heaven written by an old scholar. As for breaking taboos—only you and I know. Once we step out that door, no one will know. What's the harm?"
Chen Cong smiled. "Just a scholar? That's not a high official title."
Uncle Chang narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Who says it isn't."
Chen Cong asked curiously, "Uncle Chang, since there are no outsiders here, give me a hint: do you know him? Are you both poor and down-and-out scholars?"
But the old man didn't answer the question. He just asked the youth to repeat the meaning of that sentence.
"Uncle Chang once said a worn-out phrase: 'Thousands of years of history dissolve in the sound of reading,' so..."
The youth was full of smiles, beginning to sway his head. "'The gentleman respects what lies within himself and does not covet what lies in heaven—thus he daily advances.' Listen to me explain in detail..."
The old man pretended to be angry and glared. "You don't stand properly during the day, and you don't sit properly at night. How many times have I told you? Sit up straight..."
The youth wasn't afraid of Uncle Chang at all. Whenever the old man looked at him, it was with the doting and satisfaction an elder shows to a junior—and one who had done well at that.
Perhaps this was having a day with nothing to do, family sitting idly together, the lamp light warm and dear.