Chapter 1059: Where the Gaze Lingers, There Lies the Deepest Obsession

Chapter 1059: Where the Gaze Lingers, There Lies the Deepest Obsession

Yichi Lane not only had promising children like Yuan Zhengding and Guan Yiran, who established merit and brought glory to their families, but also those who never managed to put on official robes or secure hereditary titles, who simply muddled through life, merely earning a living.

Today, as Cao Gengxin walked home, he encountered just such a prodigal son—someone who couldn't even be counted on to hold up the family's main beam; it would be a blessing if he didn't tear it down. The family wasn't exactly disappointed in him; after all, in Yichi Lane and Chi'er Street, there were plenty of such sons of officials and generals. As long as they stayed out of their elders' way during the New Year and avoided being scolded during the first few days, they could be happy for the rest of the year. The carriage slowly came to a halt because the man heard the coachman's silent reminder that Vice Minister Cao wasn't on duty at the yamen today. The man quickly reached out his fair-skinned fingers to lift the carriage curtain. He and Cao Qinglang were the same age. Today, inside the carriage, there was a seductive woman dressed in finery. She said she wanted to stroll through the legendary Yichi Lane. Ordinary carriages wouldn't dare wander around here; even if the law didn't forbid it, they wouldn't have the nerve to tour this lane. The man brought her to broaden her horizons—a tactic that had never failed, more effective than aphrodisiacs. The man moved to the window, lifted the curtain woven in the style of the Caiyi Kingdom, and spotted the Vice Minister Cao, who was taking a solitary stroll while carrying a purple gourd. First, he boasted to the woman about how close he was with Vice Minister Cao and how prominent Cao was in the Great Li Dynasty. Yichi Lane was only bustling during the early court sessions and at dusk, with a constant stream of traffic and crowds. At this hour, it was still very quiet. The man stuck his head out the window, saw no one around, and shouted loudly. With a laugh, he called out, "Brother Cao, when you have time, come to my family's tavern for a drink. I just got a batch of mountain brew; it's actually not inferior to Changchun Xianniang, just less famous."

The Vice Minister Cao, walking in the shade of the parasol trees, stopped and turned his head. From the carriage window, it looked like a pig's head was hanging out.

Vice Minister Cao turned sideways and, as the carriage slowly approached, tapped that "pig's head" lightly with his wine gourd. With a grin, he teased, "Fatty Wei, is this your return to your wife's family? Finally willing to come home?"

The fat man surnamed Wei blushed. He wasn't even married yet. He hadn't been exaggerating to the woman; he and Cao Gengxin had indeed grown up together as close friends.

When Cao Gengxin was young and dabbled in selling shady items, this guy had been running around doing all the work. Even now, he was the only one who kept a tab for Cao Gengxin's drinking and never pressed for payment.

Moreover, the man had a principle: no matter what official post Cao Gengxin held, he never asked for favors. When they met, it was only to arrange a drink. And when they did drink, they only talked about amusing and embarrassing stories from their youth.

Cao Gengxin's eyes were full of laughter. He didn't move, just stood by the roadside chatting casually with the fat man. It felt like a daze; the once fair and chubby youth had become a bearded adult, the only difference being that he'd gotten several sizes bigger.

Probably because he wasn't particularly aggressive in making money, and his family's elders hadn't been doing well in officialdom in recent years, with a decline setting in—for many years, there hadn't been a pillar of the family qualified to attend the small court sessions. The fat man only ran a tavern on Changpu River. Compared to ordinary folk, he was certainly raking in money, but in a lane of towering mansions like Yichi Lane, his status wasn't even "neither high nor low." Among the recognized ne'er-do-well sons of prominent officials in Yichi Lane, he was considered low-tier. Some of the younger generation who had ventured into business south of the Great River had already acquired one or two immortal ferry boats from the mountains in recent years. In short, few people looked up to the fat man in front of them.

Just then, several more carriages passed by. They evidently spotted Vice Minister Cao and stopped one after another. A young man full of noble bearing lifted the curtain, greeted Vice Minister Cao with a beaming smile, and called him "Uncle Cao" in an affectionate tone—their families were both old friends and in-laws.

Cao Gengxin didn't even bother to glance his way. He ignored the greeting and continued chatting with the fat man, leaving that junior from Yichi Lane, who did a lot of business, hanging. The young man couldn't very well continue greeting him, nor could he just take his leave. He had lost face in front of his friends, but he didn't dare show any displeasure. He didn't even have the sense to quietly leave; instead, he crouched half-bent near the carriage curtain and the driver. Only when the fat man quietly reminded him, "Brother Cao, don't make things difficult for yourself," did Vice Minister Cao glance sideways at the carriage procession. He just raised his chin slightly, signaling them to get lost and go cool off somewhere.

The wealthy young man, whose family had several members serving as regional governors in the Great Li Dynasty, didn't dare let out a single fart. He sheepishly retreated into the carriage, not even feeling particularly humiliated.

Children of Yichi Lane were also graded into different classes. Cao Gengxin, with his extremely solid official career, was unquestionably first-class. So even the young man's father or grandfather, when meeting Cao Gengxin now, would treat him as an equal, chatting and laughing freely. If Cao Gengxin crossed his legs during casual conversation, it wasn't a lack of manners but a sign of familiarity. During New Year visits and drinking sessions, it was actually Cao Gengxin who insisted on performing the junior's courtesy and refused to take the seat of honor.

The fat man smiled. "Why be so harsh? You made it so awkward that even I, an outsider, feel like scratching my feet."

Cao Gengxin tucked the wine gourd into his waistband and smiled faintly. "These little bastards, with a few stinking coins in their pockets, think they can wag their tails to the sky. Their tavern business is so big, yet they don't even know to invite Uncle Cao for a drink. Fine, they don't invite me to drink, but they could at least, considering that I almost had a child betrothal with their aunt, settle my wine tab. But when they see me on the road, they just lightly call out 'Uncle Cao.' How many bowls of wine is that worth? Is there such a good deal under heaven?"

The fat man asked in confusion, "Brother Cao, didn't you just settle all your wine debts today?"

Cao Gengxin thought he'd misheard. "What?"

The fat man explained that all of Cao Gengxin's wine debts at the taverns along Changpu River, including his own, had been cleared by a wealthy outsider who called himself Chen Haoren.

Cao Gengxin's expression didn't change. He thought for a moment and then smiled. "Probably someone trying to get close to the 'Vice Minister' hat. Doesn't matter. Pretend it never happened."

The fat man was skeptical. Who had such audacity? Did they really think the Great Li's censors were idle? At the very least, couldn't they offer some calligraphy, paintings, or antiques as a refined bribe? Did they not understand the concept? Why make such a big fuss? Was the Changpu River tavern a place that could keep secrets? The problem was, he'd brought the pig's head to the wrong temple. Who didn't know that Vice Minister Cao was famous for accepting gifts and drinking but never doing favors? At the table, it was "yes, yes, yes"; away from the table, it was "hard, hard, hard."

Cao Gengxin waved his hand. "Don't let me hold up your sightseeing. If you ever run into real trouble, go find Han Liuer. He can put in a good word for you. Around the Changpu River area, his sixth-rank official status can be as useful as a third-rank one in the capital. We grew up together, so we know each other inside out. Don't be too thin-skinned. Let me tell you a truth that's not a truth: when you're in a bind, if you treat your brothers too much like brothers, you're actually not treating them like brothers. Take that matter around the New Year last year, a trivial thing. I heard someone was so upset he locked himself in and drank alone, crying and sniffling. Who were you trying to disgust? Besides, you were in the right. No wonder it ended up at home, and Uncle Wei thought you couldn't see things clearly. All new friendships in the world come from bothering others, and then they look for opportunities to help solve problems. I don't know what you're afraid of. If you're really this afraid of troubling others, then why bother earning this kind of noisy money from the tavern?"

The fat man said gloomily, "My father never tells me these things."

Cao Gengxin smiled mockingly. "Your brain is on your own neck. Use it more."

The fat man nodded. "Got it. I'll think more from now on."

Cao Gengxin smiled. "When you have time, go home more often. Drink with your father and talk heart-to-heart. At worst, just admit to Uncle Wei that you're a failure. You're his own son, after all. And you're truly filial. Compared to those neighbors who are filial on the surface but not in their hearts, aren't you much better? Also, remember to get married soon. Don't worry about anything else, just let Uncle Wei hold a grandchild. Then see if he doesn't smile at you."

The fat man hummed in agreement.

Cao Gengxin said seriously, "One last thing."

The fat man said, "Brother Cao, go ahead. I'm listening."

Cao Gengxin grinned mischievously. "Our Yichi Lane is famous for its smooth roads. Don't let this carriage of yours bump all the way. Your father, Uncle Wei, when he was young, caused a big joke."

The fat man's eyes widened. "My father?!"

After all, in his impression, his father, who had served as a Director of the Ministry of Rites for many years, was a righteous gentleman steeped in the sages' teachings, rigid and pedantic to a frightening degree.

Cao Gengxin said, "Don't say I told you."

The fat man let the curtain fall. Being exposed by Vice Minister Cao like that suddenly made him less afraid of his father.

Even Cao Gengxin was no exception. They had all been beaten by their fathers. The only difference was whether they were whipped with a jade belt, a scabbard, a horsewhip, or a ferule. Getting into trouble outside was one thing—especially fights among peers, which the elders generally ignored, even if they came back bruised and battered. But two things would definitely earn a beating: relying on family status to not study properly and daring to contradict the family tutor (this was more common among military families on Chi'er Street), and bullying girls of similar age. That would guarantee a thorough beating. No matter how busy the officials in yellow and purple robes—the generals and ministers—were, when they came home, they meted out family discipline.

Cao Gengxin walked alone toward his home, seemingly questioning himself in his mind.

"Mr. Ma, has Chen Ping'an already guessed the truth? Did he deliberately not expose it in the small courtyard? Because he was giving face to you, his senior brother? And he didn't bother with me?"

An old man, who had served as a private secretary to Cao Zaozao for many years in Huaihuang County, replied in a calm tone, "He's meticulous. Earlier in the small courtyard, he was probing you everywhere. He must have guessed. Otherwise, he wouldn't have cleared your wine debts. That's his tacit approval of your risky wager for wealth and honor. As for me, I'm just a yin spirit that can't see the light. What kind of senior brother am I? What face do I have?"

Cao Gengxin rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. He cautiously asked, "Will there be irreparable aftereffects? Did I overreach and lose sight of the bigger picture?"

The invisible old man sneered, "What's done is done. What's the point of regretting now?"

Cao Gengxin started to be cheeky. "Mr. Ma, that 'Dizhi' jade token was a clue you gave me. By literary lineage, you're Chen Ping'an's shishu. If he settles accounts after the autumn harvest, you'll have to cover for me."

The old man surnamed Ma remained silent. He had no face to acknowledge that junior apprentice-uncle.

Just as Cao Gengxin had said to Zhou Haijing in the small courtyard: even wine can be fake, so how much more so words.

This was a high-stakes gamble.

Because there was never such a letter. State Preceptor Cui Chan had never instructed Cao Gengxin about anything, nor had he authorized Cao Gengxin to be in charge of the Great Li's Dizhi lineage.

As for that "Dizhi" jade token and the abandoned courtyard that had been neglected for years, they were indeed important clues leaked to Cao Gengxin by the yin spirit beside him. After Cao Gengxin left his post as the kiln supervisor and returned to the capital as an official, he spent many years carefully "checking and retrieving" it from the secret vault of the Ministry of Justice.

This private secretary, named Ma Zhan, had once been a teacher at the Shanya Academy before the Great Li moved its capital. In those days, he was a junior fellow apprentice to Principal Qi Jingchun. Together with Mao Xiaodong, he had traveled to Baoping Zhou. Ma Zhan was also a disciple of the Sage Wen, but not an in-door disciple. His literary lineage status was similar to Mao Xiaodong's current position as the Siye of the Liji Academy. However, compared to Mao Xiaodong's fortunes, a single difference in thought had led to a chasm between them.

One was already a scholar who could attend every deliberation at the Central Plains Confucian Temple, and more importantly, he could often meet with the master who had been restored to his divine position in the temple. The other had degenerated into a mere ghost whose soul hadn't dispersed after death, utterly obscure. Nowadays, when the younger generation in the several worlds talks about the Wen Sheng lineage, they probably don't even know that Wen Sheng once had a disciple named Ma Zhan.

When the old scholar had come to the capital and the Chunshan Academy, lodging at the Ren Yun Yi Yun Building, Ma Zhan had never shown his face from beginning to end. The master he respected most in life had never sought him out either. The master might have known that the ghost Ma Zhan still existed in the Great Li capital. Or perhaps the master knew but pretended not to.

Ma Zhan now had another hidden identity: he was one of the temple attendants at the imperial temple in the Great Li capital dedicated to successive monarchs.

In the capital, the only person he could talk to was Shopkeeper Yang, who now served as the Night Wandering God at the City God Temple. This was naturally a retreat arranged by that old man in the backyard of the herbal medicine shop. By becoming a mountain and water spirit, Ma Zhan could continue to protect his family's incense. The Yang family's ancestral herbal medicine shop had that old man in the backyard. Although he was nominally surnamed Yang and the townsfolk regarded him as an elder of the Yang family, he had no real relation to the Yangs of Taoye Lane.

Finally, Ma Zhan said, "Cui Chan deliberately left me, neither human nor ghost, by your side back then to assist you in managing the Longquan Kiln Supervisor's office. Cui Chan was certainly waiting for this day. Chen Ping'an is very clever and certainly guessed it. So as long as you can make good use of the Dizhi lineage in the future, Chen Ping'an will be willing to treat that letter as if it really existed."

Cao Gengxin asked curiously, "Master, you ended up in this state, which was deliberately orchestrated by State Preceptor Cui back then, wasn't it? After all these years, don't you resent him at all?"

Ma Zhan said indifferently, "I brought it upon myself. I can't blame him."

The master's "Chapter on Honor and Disgrace" once said: "Harming others with words is deeper than spears and halberds."

Actually, some words left unsaid hurt even more. But Ma Zhan didn't think there was anything wrong with the master not seeing him. That phrase "I brought it upon myself" was Ma Zhan's best epitaph for himself. Ma Zhan was unwilling to see even Chen Ping'an, let alone the master. Yet deep down, Ma Zhan hoped that the master still remembered him, and that it was just his own cowardice that prevented him from facing the master.

Cao Gengxin sighed. "When actions fail, seek the cause in yourself."

This was a famous saying from the Second Sage.

So Ma Zhan recited a few teachings from Wen Sheng: "The master said, follow the Way, not the sovereign; ritual is rooted in following people's hearts. Those who know themselves do not blame others; those who understand fate do not resent heaven. The best way for a noble to cultivate his mind is sincerity; with utmost sincerity, there are no other matters."

Cao Gengxin was sharp enough to understand that every word from the old man Ma Zhan, who had lived in guilt for so many years, had a specific meaning. The first sentence, "follow the Way, not the sovereign," was praise for State Preceptor Cui Chan. The second stated his own current sole pursuit. As for the last sentence, it was naturally about the closed-door disciple of the Wen Sheng lineage, Chen Ping'an. From Ma Zhan's previous conversation with Cao Gengxin, one could see the old man's recognition and admiration for this junior fellow apprentice, which was evident.

Cao Gengxin smiled. "We're at my doorstep. Come in for a few cups?"

Ma Zhan shook his head. "I'm a yin spirit that can't see the light. Being a gatekeeping temple attendant is enough. I shouldn't set foot in the homes of you noble families."

Cao Gengxin didn't insist further. The old man was strict in both words and deeds.

Ma Zhan suddenly asked, "Cao Gengxin, with your status and intelligence, why are you so eager for quick success?"

Cao Gengxin flicked his sleeves, raised his arm, and made a gesture of holding a cup to drink. "Life lasts not a hundred years; let us drain our cups while we may."

Ma Zhan was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "You are a qi refiner. Why speak of 'life lasts not a hundred years'?"

Cao Gengxin patted the wine gourd at his waist and said with a grin, "What immortal? Just a drunkard."

His duty called. Ma Zhan took his leave of Cao Gengxin and immediately returned to the Imperial Temple. The other temple attendant handed him a letter, saying it was from a capital official named Xun Qu, addressed to Ma Zhan personally. This secret letter, which could hardly be called an invitation or a family letter, had a rather unimpressive mountain-and-water restriction set on it. On the envelope were written the words "Senior Brother Personally Open," and the signature was "Junior Apprentice Brother Chen Ping'an."

Opening the envelope, the letter contained only three sentences.

"The master said: 'Good in life and death, the Way of man is complete.' I sincerely invite Senior Brother to Luopo Mountain to meet the master. It was not convenient to reminisce in the Great Li capital earlier. The master misses Senior Brother Ma very much."

Ma Zhan put the letter paper back into the envelope, sat in the lonely and desolate gatekeeper's room, stretched out his hand, gently smoothed the envelope on the table, and wept bitterly.

Back when the old scholar came to the capital and appeared at the Ren Yun Yi Yun Building, he would often stand at the entrance of the alley, stroking his beard, as if waiting for someone.

Later, Wen Sheng went to Chunshan Academy, which was tantamount to publicly revealing his identity within the Great Li officialdom. After that, the old scholar stopped going to the alley entrance.

When the closed-door disciple mentioned it, the old scholar, who was usually easygoing with Chen Ping'an, got unusually agitated and started cursing. He said, "This Ma Zhan, what kind of behavior is this! He knows his master has come to the capital, just a few steps away, and yet he doesn't come to see his master to reminisce. Is this the way a student respects his teacher? Does he expect me, the teacher, to go to him? No, I won't see him! What's there to see!"

It was only Chen Ping'an. If it had been Zuo You or Mao Xiaodong, they would probably have gone to help the master scold people. Chen Ping'an continued to persuade the master, saying why get angry with Senior Brother Ma Zhan. Show the magnanimity and breadth of mind befitting a teacher.

The old scholar seemed genuinely angry, only saying he wouldn't see him, absolutely wouldn't. No one pleading for Ma Zhan would change his mind. It was disgraceful. He had been such a good student before. Although, like Mao Xiaodong, when the master asked three questions, the student knew none, he was a bit dull but at least he respected the teacher. Back then, Mao Xiaodong couldn't even get a turn to move the chair. Now this Ma Zhan, having become a high official, put on airs bigger than the sky and didn't recognize his teacher anymore... Chen Ping'an tried to drag the master out by force to the Imperial Temple in the Great Li capital. The old scholar, even though being pulled by the arm of his most beloved disciple, stood firm as a pine. No, he wouldn't go. If he left the alley today, let alone the courtyard, wouldn't he have to become Ma Zhan's student?

At that time, Chen Ping'an had to give up.

He said that he, the so-called closed-door disciple, apparently didn't have much say with the master either. He was just average as a disciple.

The old scholar had to turn around and comfort the closed-door disciple, saying it wasn't the same thing at all. He shouldn't feel that way. What, was he getting angry with the master now? See, the master was right not to see Ma Zhan, wasn't he? ...

Finally, the old scholar sighed and explained to Chen Ping'an that Ma Zhan needed to get past his own heart's barrier.

Chen Ping'an smiled beside him, saying he had guessed as much. The student was just concerned about the master.

At Luopo Mountain.

As soon as Liu Shiliu and Bai Ye arrived, the white-haired boy, who had already added a few more entries to the biography, had nothing to do. He ran to the mountaintop alone, looking gloomy and unhappy.

After all, that was a living Bai Ye! They had barely exchanged a few casual words. It was really embarrassing.

Back then, at the Suichu Palace in the Qingming World, Palace Master Wu Shuangjiang was more fond of Su Shi's lyrics, while his Dao partner, a female cultivator with the Dao name "Tianran," who had average cultivation aptitude, was utterly obsessed with Bai Ye's poetry.

To indulge her hobby, Wu Shuangjiang collected the latest poems of Bai Ye from his home world. He, who never asked for favors, owed many debts to the Xuan Du Guan, the Huayang Palace, and that "Shiyu" blessed land. Of course, he repaid them all. Whether these deals were worthwhile was for Wu Shuangjiang to decide.

As for why he favored Su Shi, Wu Shuangjiang said that Su Shi found joy in hardship, hence his open-mindedness. Bai Ye, on the contrary, had too smooth a life, belonging to the type where extreme joy begets sorrow. But Bai Ye was indeed unmatched in talent, especially in his abundant ethereal quality. Those who succeeded in life liked him, and those who were frustrated liked him too.

Today, she finally met the "Bai Ye from outside the books," and she felt embarrassed instead.

Her current form was indeed a bit shabby.

The white-haired boy sat on the white jade railing at the summit of Jiling Peak, sighing deeply. He was utterly dejected.

If only he had the face of the Hidden Official Ancestor, he might already be drinking with Mr. Bai Ye by now.

Zhu Lian strolled over, his figure stooped, hands clasped behind his back, wearing cloth shoes with fine stitches—a gift that Nuan Shu had asked Mi Lili to distribute to everyone, so they all had a pair.

The white-haired boy, with his back to the old chef, waved his hand in greeting.

Zhu Lian approached the railing, gazing at a layered landscape painting that transitioned from thick ink to light strokes. "Editor of the Records, any worries on your mind?"

The white-haired boy sighed. "Thank goodness the Hidden Official Ancestor wasn't around. Otherwise, I would have been mortified."

"Between men and women, there are rooms within rooms and floors above floors. Those caught in the situation can't explain themselves clearly. It's like a capital crime—the hardest thing to prove is innocence."

Zhu Lian smiled. "Love is a child named willfulness, nicknamed naughtiness. Once it grows up, it changes its name to responsibility, alias understanding."

The white-haired boy chuckled, showing his teeth. "Old chef, you've finally misjudged something for once, haven't you? My feelings for Bai Ye are pure admiration. Why would it involve romantic love?"

Zhu Lian smiled. "I didn't say you liked Bai Ye. It's just admiration. Among those who call themselves gifted in the mortal world, who doesn't admire Bai Ye? Even I have to carefully prepare my thoughts before daring to approach Bai Ye."

Zhu Lian understood in his heart that the reason she hadn't talked more with Bai Ye was still her worry that Bai Ye, from the Xuan Du Guan in the Qingming World, might attract the attention of too many high-level figures, thereby implicating Wu Shuangjiang.

The white-haired boy, who now went by the alias Konghou, had taken the name for herself.

She clearly wanted two bamboo stalks to lean on each other, but her heart regretted sending her husband off to seek fame and fortune. It was like drawing water with a bamboo basket— empty joy for a woman.

The white-haired boy swung his legs. "When someone is too liked, the person being liked seems to forget how to like the other person back."

In short, they were spoiled. They were accustomed to taking from others, not knowing how to give. She asked, "Is that the principle? I've been thinking about it for years!"

Zhu Lian smiled. "Right and wrong."

The white-haired boy looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Zhu Lian leaned on the railing. "Some truths, you understand them, but you need someone like me, an outsider, to say them for you to consider them valid. Otherwise, you'd feel unsure."

The white-haired boy mocked himself. "Ha, is it like 'the doctrines of foreign monks sound better'?"

Zhu Lian shook his head and said slowly, "Once, I was traveling aimlessly in my hometown. I met an old monk in white who was coming down the mountain carrying a green zither. Since we met amidst the thousands of mountains and rivers, it must have been fate. We stopped and discussed some Buddhist doctrine. We hit it off, talking from sunset until the sun sank behind the mountains. I finally said that 'the monk chants sutras without sincerity' is a derogatory saying in the marketplace, but within Buddhism, it might actually be a very high state. He said I had both Buddhist affinity and wisdom roots."

Just listening to the old chef narrate his past events made the white-haired boy's mind much calmer.

The white-haired boy asked, "Old Master Zhu, back in your hometown, so many women liked you. Were you never tempted by any of them? Was it always them giving and you disappointing?"

Zhu Lian smiled. "Of course I was tempted sometimes. But it was mostly unrelated to women's looks or family backgrounds. It was like flowers blooming and withering—I've passed by, seen them, and missed them. Looking back, I just remember them. But as for the kind of temptation that makes one want to marry and grow old together, I don't think I've ever had that. A spoiled rich girl, or a humble girl who insists on wearing gold and silver, flashy and gaudy, isn't very appealing. But some scenes were indeed beautiful. I remember once, taking shelter from the rain at a temple fair. A group of women ran under the eaves. Only one woman, with a thornwood hairpin and a plain skirt, stood a bit further away. Her slender, slightly calloused fingers gently smoothed the hair at her temples. She had a virtuous demeanor. Even without stunning beauty, she was already very moving. Young men always pursue beauties who can topple kingdoms. For an old man like me, I only seek a glimpse that pleases the eye."

The white-haired boy gave a thumbs-up. "Old Master Zhu, to be honest, when it comes to the knowledge of love between men and women, you're in no way inferior to the Hidden Official Ancestor!"

Zhu Lian smiled and shook his head. "How can that comparison be made? The gap between me and the young master is many gaps away from you and Chen Lingjun."

The white-haired boy chuckled. When it came to flattery, the old chef could rank second. As for the first, it was now settled—it had to be Old Immortal Master Jia.

Seeing her disbelief, Zhu Lian pointed at the distant mountains and waters. "In the same painting, does a mortal or a cultivator find it more beautiful?"

The white-haired boy said, "Of course, a mortal's naked eyes find it more beautiful."

Zhu Lian nodded. "So that's it. The youthful feelings are like splashed ink, suddenly pouring onto the paper, full of freehand brushwork. The beauty lies in the layered blooming. Those caught in the scene can't see clearly. If it were a love affair, clear and distinct, like meticulous brushwork, with every nuance revealed, I ask you, where would the beauty be?"

The white-haired boy mused for a moment and couldn't help praising, "That's got some chewiness to it!"

Zhu Lian put his hands behind his back and smiled. "In my opinion, the truly chewy kind of love is like the mute eating bitter herbs—no one can stop them, and they have to eat it."

The white-haired boy nodded, hitting his palm with his fist. "Noted! I must learn from Nalan Yudie and take notes!"

Zhu Lian just smiled and said nothing.

The white-haired boy communicated silently, "Among those who walked out of the painting, it seems only you, Old Master Zhu, have changed your address for the Hidden Official Ancestor a few times?"

Zhu Lian had called Chen Ping'an "Master," "Young Master," and "Young Lord" at different times.

As expected, a woman is more attentive.

Zhu Lian smiled slightly. "It's not a name. I just call him whatever feels natural."

The white-haired boy didn't want to bother with that. He said, "Someone once said that when women see true peerless beauty, they don't feel inferior; they just feel pity. Old chef, is that true?"

Zhu Lian thought seriously for a moment. "I'm face-blind. I can't remember women's faces."

The white-haired boy grinned. "Old chef, you're so uncouth. No wonder you don't practice the sword."

If it could be said that Chief Zhou and Xiao Mo had a formless Great Dao rivalry, then the white-haired boy and the old chef—one being the Hidden Official Ancestor's most trusted general, the other being the great steward of Luopo Mountain—could also be considered rivals.

Zhu Lian laughed heartily. "In my youth, I did practice swordsmanship for a few years. Whether it was a killing technique, I can't say. But the martial world all said my swordplay was quite pleasing to the eye."

In the study of "Li Bao," the Minister of Rites of the Qingluan Kingdom.

Li Baozhen quickly steadied his mind and spread his hands. "What have I done? It seems like nothing at all. Liu Suo's desire for death has nothing to do with me. Mr. Chen should thank me for helping to fish this one out. If given time, someone like Liu Suo, if allowed to grow, would be very dangerous. Having no desires means there are no clues to follow. Pure malice means a pure Dao heart. The later he strikes, the more painful the bite."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Commissioner Li, that's what's called a guilty conscience."

Li Baozhen bent his fingers and tapped lightly on the armrest of the chair. "This method of yours to cut off communication between heaven and earth, is it... a divine ability?"

If it were just the blocking of silent thoughts, Li Baozhen could somewhat understand. But if it were... his own thoughts? Li Baozhen was absolutely certain that even his own ideas had been intercepted by Chen Ping'an.

Earlier, the moment he saw Chen Ping'an, Li Baozhen was indeed a bit flustered. His subconscious reaction was to call for reinforcements, naturally his eldest brother, Li Xisheng.

Even now, Li Baozhen still wasn't sure about the Dao foundation of his eldest brother. He only knew one thing: no matter whom he encountered, no matter what happened, no matter what difficulty he faced, as long as Li Xisheng stepped in, it would be no problem at all.

This mindset was exactly the same as Liu Chicheng of Baidi City. Whether you had trouble or not, your senior apprentice brother was always there.

Chen Ping'an ignored Li Baozhen. He walked over to the table, looked at the two bowls, and nodded with a smile. "Very vivid. If Gu Can saw this, he'd probably consider Commissioner Li a kindred spirit."

Li Baozhen's face changed slightly.

Xiao Mo stood by the door, holding his green bamboo staff, leaning against the doorframe, smiling as he watched the young man who was from the same hometown and of the same age as his master. Truly, the same rice feeds all kinds of people.

According to the sages' teachings, a gentleman can be deceived by his own squareness. There was a similar market proverb: better to anger a gentleman than a petty man.

Chen Ping'an turned around, leaned against the table, and tucked his hands into his sleeves. He looked at Liu Suo. "What were you thinking? Or was Li Baozhen right—you just hold pure malice towards me?"

Liu Suo said, "Li Baozhen would definitely kill me, so I had to save myself. This was the final question set for me by my master."

Chen Ping'an asked, "After solving the problem and getting through the crisis, then what? Did Mr. Liu have plans for you?"

"Master had no plans."

Liu Suo shook his head. "I will join Mr. Chen's Luopo Mountain, to exist as a completely non-existent person, indefinitely."

Chen Ping'an was momentarily speechless. How did he end up with such a rogue?

Liu Suo said, "If a higher realm meant you could have everything you wanted, this mortal world wouldn't be what it is. Why would the Three Teachings Patriarchs need the Fourteen Realms? Why would Haoran need the Central Plains Confucian Temple? Why would Qingming need the White Jade Capital? If I go to Luopo Mountain, Mr. Chen can certainly choose not to use me. I will never add anything unnecessary in any matter. But Luopo Mountain must have someone like Liu Suo, just in case. If Luopo Mountain had not established a lower sect, and if Mr. Cui had not left Luopo Mountain to spread branches and leaves in Tongye Prefecture, then whether Luopo Mountain had me or not would indeed make no difference."

Chen Ping'an was silent for a moment, then smiled faintly. "It sounds very reasonable—all benefit, no harm. But what if I simply refuse?"

Liu Suo said, "Then I will wait patiently. I will choose to cultivate diligently in Huaihuang County, waiting for the day when Mr. Chen finds me useful. And when that day comes, it will be of great use."

Chen Ping'an asked, "Then I'm even more curious. What's in it for you?"

Liu Suo pointed at Chen Ping'an's cloth shoes.

Chen Ping'an turned his head and asked with a smile, "Commissioner Li, can you guess the answer?"

Li Baozhen shook his head. This Liu Suo was probably crazy. How could he guess that?

But he noticed that Chen Ping'an at this moment seemed to have changed into a different person. Or, to be precise, he had finally changed back into a person.

This eased the tension in Li Baozhen's heart, which had been coiled like a spring ready to snap, just a little. At least he could catch his breath.

"Like an insignificant ant, but because it's standing on the instep of Mr. Chen's shoe, that ant can use the momentum to see the scenery farther and higher."

Liu Suo's eyes burned with passion as he said in a low voice, "I believe that one day, by following Mr. Chen's footsteps, I can accomplish a feat that I cannot even imagine now. I don't seek fame in history. I seek no empty fame or real profit. But at some future 'great joint,' there must be a place for me, Liu Suo. It might be doing something, saying something. In that surging historical torrent, I can prove that I have come to this world once, and to a certain extent, I have changed the course of the river!"

Xiao Mo found it interesting. Listening to this speech, it was not a wasted trip. He communicated silently, "Young master, it's indeed Liu Suo's true feelings."

Chen Ping'an turned around again, bent over, and stared at the two bowls on the table—one of clear water, one of ink. He dipped his finger in a drop of ink, moved his finger, and the droplet of ink on his fingertip hung over the surface of the water in the white bowl, about to fall but not yet. With his back to Li Baozhen and Liu Suo, his voice carried a smile. "You two, guess what each of you wants for the other's life and death. Just give your answers in your minds. Xiao Mo can hear them. There are only four possibilities, not hard to guess: Li Baozhen lives, Liu Suo lives; Li Baozhen dies, Liu Suo lives; both Li Baozhen and Liu Suo die; both Li Baozhen and Liu Suo live. If your answers differ, and Commissioner Li guesses correctly, he can live, and Liu Suo will die. If Commissioner Li guesses wrong, then Commissioner Li dies, and Liu Suo lives. But if by some coincidence your choices are the same, then both die."

Li Baozhen sneered. "Trifling with people's minds is a dangerous pastime. Besides, I am an official of the Great Li. Do you think you can kill me just like that? Who do you think you are?!"

Chen Ping'an just stared at the drop of ink about to fall into the white bowl. "Then let's try an easier guessing game. I'm sure both of you are proficient in arithmetic, so this should be very simple. Assume these four possibilities. If you guess any one of them correctly, that can be the correct answer, and both of you can live. So, what do you think is the probability of survival? Zero, one-quarter, one-half, or one? For fairness, the correct answer must be among these four options. Why don't you guess what that probability is? Whoever guesses correctly can leave this study alive immediately. Commissioner Li, you can continue to serve both as Minister and as the behind-the-scenes monarch. Liu Suo, you can even join Luopo Mountain right away. Or there's another choice: temporarily not join Luopo Mountain in exchange for a peaceful and painless death for the Qingluan Kingdom's Minister of Rites, Li Bao. You can start guessing now. First come, first served."

Liu Suo simply closed his eyes, once again assuming a posture of waiting for death.

Li Baozhen's mind raced, trying to guess the so-called correct answer.

A knock sounded at the door. Li Xisheng said with a smile, "Baozhen, don't bother guessing. Mr. Chen's question itself is wrong, so there is no correct answer."

Li Baozhen indeed couldn't transmit his thoughts or intentions to his brother, but that couldn't stop Li Xisheng from using divination.

Chen Ping'an sighed and signaled Xiao Mo with his eyes not to block the door. Li Xisheng pushed open the door and saw "Chen Ping'an" with a pair of golden eyes, with a small creature lying in his hair bun.

But he had used an illusion technique, so Li Baozhen and Liu Suo couldn't see the little lotus figure that had followed Chen Ping'an away from Luopo Mountain.

A false alarm.

Chen Ping'an smiled faintly. "In the future, I'll trouble you to keep a tighter rein on Commissioner Li. There's a saying: 'One can guard against a thief for a thousand days, but not a thousand days of thievery.' Once can be excused, but a second time is too much, and a third is unacceptable."

Li Xisheng nodded with a smile. "I'll persuade him."

Li Baozhen felt as if he had been granted amnesty. He didn't want to stay in this room a moment longer. He quickly stood up and went to Li Xisheng's side.

Li Xisheng said, "Baozhen, you need to finish what you started. First, hand over your duties at the Qingluan Kingdom's Ministry of Rites tomorrow, then return to the Great Li Weaving Bureau."

Li Baozhen nodded.

Li Xisheng was actually quite troubled. He could fully imagine that in the future, when Li Baozhen was stuck at the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul realm, he would sit opposite a manifested demon of his own mind in the form of Chen Ping'an, repeatedly guessing at answers and endlessly debating. If he had come a moment later, there might have been a few more truly arithmetic problems waiting for Li Baozhen. This one was just an appetizer. If he wasn't careful, Li Baozhen would lose his Dao heart and end up like those ancient hermits hanging fox pelts by the chain of the River of Time—surface-level understanding of "not being deceived by karma" would be useless. Without knowing "contemplating the self," how could he speak of "great freedom"?

Li Xisheng communicated silently, "Zheng Juzhong and Yu Dou left Baidi City and went beyond the heavens."

Chen Ping'an asked doubtfully, "What are they doing beyond the heavens?"

The two walked out of the study together. Li Xisheng roughly explained the situation at Baidi City.

Chen Ping'an asked, "Outcome of this contest? Win or lose?"

Li Xisheng said, "Neither won nor lost, I suppose."

Some inside information, Li Xisheng felt it was not appropriate to reveal more of the heavenly secrets.

For instance, in Baidi City, Zheng Juzhong had smiled and said to Yu Dou, "Since you're here..."

Yu Dou, carrying a sword and wearing a dharma robe, who had followed his master across the world, replied on the spot, "Just what I wanted."

Anyway, once they met, they weren't willing to say a single extra word.

Two Fourteen Realms cultivators, and among the Fourteen Realms, the kind that could really fight. Both were quite hot-tempered.

Regarding this concise arranged fight, the Supreme Sage didn't stop it, and the Dao Ancestor didn't think it mattered.

Chen Ping'an said, "So this means that as long as Yu Dou is stationed at the White Jade Capital, even Mr. Zheng would lose?"

Li Xisheng nodded. "At least for now. As for the future, it cannot be deduced or calculated."

Chen Ping'an's eyes showed a strange expression.

Li Xisheng smiled. "I'm being pragmatic. What's there to be embarrassed about?"

The pair of golden eyes disappeared. Chen Ping'an raised his hands to rub his face and said helplessly, "What's the deal with Li Baozhen? How can he be a brother to Mr. Li and an older brother to Little Baoping? If it were someone else, I wouldn't have let him off today."

Once someone was put on Chen Ping'an's list, like Zhengyang Mountain in the past, then Li Baozhen's career as a weaving commissioner would be over.

Li Xisheng was clearly more helpless. "Every family has its difficult scripture to recite. But rest assured, it won't happen again."

Chen Ping'an originally wanted to say a few more words, but considering the other party was Li Xisheng, he let it go.

Some basic truths like "Luxury and dissipation lead to depravity" and "A clever person only becomes harder to teach; if you don't punish him early to warn him, one day you might have to disown him in the name of righteousness."

Li Xisheng probably guessed Chen Ping'an's thoughts and smiled. "Rest assured."

Chen Ping'an suddenly looked up.

Li Xisheng and Xiao Mo also looked up at the sky.

The battle beyond the heavens had actually caused ripples on the Haoran heavenly canopy. Layers of light, as large as giant lakes, spread out.

Chen Ping'an murmured, "I thought it would be a more peaceful 'literary duel.'"

For example, choosing a battlefield within a Dao field of the Supreme Sage or the Dao Ancestor.

Li Xisheng said, "The battlefield is indeed within a secret realm, casually thrown out by the Dao Ancestor. It's relatively close to Haoran World. But Yu Dou and Zheng Juzhong have nothing left to hide."

The Second Sect Leader of the White Jade Capital, once called "Truly Invincible," had only one thing that could be criticized: he had never truly fought those two, so he couldn't be considered truly invincible.

Those two were the "Little Master" of Haoran World, Li Sheng, and the great swordsman of the Sword Qi Great Wall, Chen Qingdu.

As for Zheng Juzhong of Baidi City, his true body, yin spirit, and yang spirit incarnation were all simultaneously at the Fourteen Realm.

Especially the latter "Zheng Juzhong" was almost a direct copy of the "Dao Ancestor" himself.

Zheng Juzhong possessed the heart, the method, and the Dao.

All three were present.

This matter would sooner or later be known throughout all the worlds. With this rough sketch of his own Dao in Zheng Juzhong's mind, external "timing" meant nothing to him.

But even the mountain-top cultivators who had gradually learned this shocking news were still unaware of a deeper fact.

In addition to an exquisite perfection of the "person" element, Zheng Juzhong still had a hidden advantage of "place." Because Zheng Juzhong's Dao field was simultaneously in Haoran World where Baidi City was located, in the Barren World where one of his Fourteen Realm incarnations was, and also in the Qingming World after the Dao Ancestor's departure.

The key point was that when the Three Teachings Patriarchs were still present, Zheng Juzhong could already achieve this step. After the Three Teachings Patriarchs scattered their Dao, what would Zheng Juzhong become?

Here's an analogy.

The difference in realms among mountain-top cultivators was like a towering dharma image standing on the earth. Every Flying Ascension and Fourteen Realm cultivator had their own merits. But almost all mountain-top cultivators walked their own paths to achieve their respective realms. The height of their dharma images had never touched the bottleneck of the canopy.

But the height of Zheng Juzhong's dharma image was only "that high" because the Three Teachings Patriarchs were in the way.

Li Xisheng asked, "Did you bring any wine?"

Chen Ping'an nodded. "What kind of wine do you want?"

Li Xisheng smiled. "Our hometown's glutinous rice wine will do."

Chen Ping'an took out a pot of Dong Bancheng's glutinous rice wine from his sleeve and handed it to Li Xisheng. He couldn't help but smile. "Seems casual, but it's not cheap."

Because of the golden plaque "Lizhu" and the civilian kiln celadon wine flasks made by the small town's dragon kiln, they now sold for prices close to immortal brews. And some people actually bought them.

Li Xisheng took a sip of the soft glutinous rice wine and said, "I'm not speaking ill of Zheng Juzhong. Setting aside his Dao heart, Zheng Juzhong is bent on seeking methods beyond methods and achieving the Dao beyond the Dao. Because of our respective cultivation paths, you and I both need to be wary of him. So do all current and future Fourteen Realm cultivators. They need to be extra careful, because no one knows if the single-plank bridge they are walking on might one day intersect with Zheng Juzhong's path, leading to an unexpected Dao rivalry."

Chen Ping'an nodded.

Li Xisheng smiled. "A shared feeling."

One had to admit that in the ten thousand years of this world, perhaps no one was as free as Zheng Juzhong.

Li Xisheng asked, "How is the 'thoughts' matter working?"

Chen Ping'an said, "Thoughts arise naturally. Compared to Senior Brother Cui back then, it's reduced by more than half. I try to restrain my thoughts, which is at least half more than Cui Dongshan."

Li Xisheng nodded. "Very impressive."

The former was difficult in the word "naturally." The latter's restraint and cessation of thoughts was not the ordinary qi refiner's meditation and focus. It was also different from the heart-fast of the White Jade Capital Dao officials or the seated meditation of the Buddhist school.

Li Xisheng smiled. "Baoping is returning home by ferry with Sect Leader Cui and the others. I'll accompany them for a stretch."

Chen Ping'an quickly thanked him. Li Xisheng replied gruffly, "You're her brother."

Xiao Mo suppressed a laugh.

Chen Ping'an glanced at the sky canopy, took a deep breath, and withdrew his gaze. He bowed to Li Xisheng in farewell. Li Xisheng returned the bow.

Li Xisheng was the first to leave the Qingluan Kingdom, heading for the southern end of Baoping Prefecture, the Old Dragon City.

Xiao Mo suddenly communicated silently, "Young master, I want to take Liu Suo as a disciple."

Chen Ping'an asked curiously, "Is he a sword cultivator?"

Xiao Mo shook his head. "No."

Chen Ping'an understood. Xiao Mo was not only proficient in swordsmanship; his learning was extensive. Teaching a mid-five realm Liu Suo was more than enough.

Xiao Mo said, "I'll take Liu Suo as an unregistered disciple. He has nothing to do with Luopo Mountain."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "I'm at ease with you taking a disciple. But you should put him on ice for a few days first... Never mind, it makes no difference. Just tell Liu Suo directly."

Liu Suo was smart enough and had a heavy heart. Meeting a master like Xiao Mo seemed to be a destined immortal fate for him.

Chen Ping'an returned to Luopo Mountain with Xiao Mo. He first went to the bamboo building, then hurried to see Senior Brother Jun Qian.

On the mountain, Xie Gou had actually regained her true appearance, in the form of Bai Jing, drinking with Senior Brother Jun Qian. It was a hearty indulgence, with no trace of her earlier innocent girl demeanor.

When she saw Xiao Mo return to the mountain, Bai Jing just belched, squinted, and smiled.

Chen Ping'an called out "Senior Brother Jun Qian." Liu Shiliu smiled and nodded, telling the junior apprentice brother and Xiao Mo to sit down and drink together.

Chen Ping'an hesitated as if to speak.

Jun Qian smiled. "Bai Ye was pulled away by Wei Shanjun to Piyun Mountain to see the Great Master. Mi Lili went along to play."

Chen Ping'an hadn't intended to go to Piyun Mountain to see Bai Ye. That kind of hospitality would be too un-Luopo-Mountain.

Perhaps even if the junior apprentice brother had wanted to go, Senior Brother Jun Qian would have stopped him. There was no need to be so deliberate. His good friend Bai Ye had never liked formalities.

Bai Jing and Xiao Mo were both old acquaintances of Jun Qian from ancient times. They weren't exactly friends, but relatively speaking, Jun Qian was more familiar with Xiao Mo.

Jun Qian said, "Mr. Xiao Mo, after you've had some drinks here, you can head to the Qingming World whenever you like. Old Temple Master is waiting for you at Mingyue Haocai. An old friend not seen for ten thousand years—you can have another round of drinks."

Xiao Mo smiled and nodded. "I can drink a bit more with Mr. Jun Qian."

The paths across Haoran World, Qingming World, Lotus World, and the newest Five-Colored World were relatively stable, like tributaries of the River of Time that had been dammed.

On this trip to visit a friend, besides catching up with Bixiao Dongzhu, Xiao Mo also had two matters entrusted by his master. One of them was related to the Dao partner of Sect Leader Liu, "Sheyue."

Previously, when Daoist friend Bixiao visited Luopo Mountain, he had made a deal with Sect Leader Cui, using a divine ability to take away the "true traces" on the green stone cliff.

By the bank of the Longxu River, on that pitted "seated" green cliff, which the townsfolk commonly called the "Green Ox's Back," even Cui Dongshan, who had carefully inspected the various landscapes of the Lizhu Cave Heaven, couldn't see anything unusual. But the old temple master managed to take it away.

No wonder Cui Dongshan hadn't been able to pick up this overlooked treasure. First, his realm was insufficient. Second, in this former site of the Lizhu Cave Heaven, there was no shortage of strange and miraculous people and places.

A young man was inexperienced—there were always times when he misjudged.

That green cliff was actually a lunar palace mirror that had once fallen into the lotus-blossom waters. Within the mirror was hidden a very high-grade ancient bright moon from antiquity. A spark of spiritual insight could bring forth ten thousand years of spirit.

As for how this treasure had traveled all the way to the Lizhu Cave Heaven and taken root as a stone cliff, it was certainly related to the last true dragon in the world. In years past, the dragon maiden's dowry was known to be exceptionally generous, known to all the world.

As for Gu Can's guess to Liu Xianyang, it wasn't entirely off the mark. He had indeed guessed part of the truth, related to the Lingfei Palace's palace master, Xiang Jun, whose Dao name was Dongting, and the old Baiyue Qiyun Mountain.

But the most important joint-Dao opportunity for Sheyue had, after many twists and turns, returned to the Mingyue Haocai, as if returning to its original position. Only the matter of "returning the property to its owner" remained.

Last time, the old temple master had bought that green cliff at a high price. Chen Ping'an wanted to buy it back. Previously, Cui Dongshan had been the negotiator, but this time it was Xiao Mo's turn. Without Xiao Mo, there would probably be no deal.

The second matter concerned the female martial artist Cen Yuanji.

Because when Daoist friend Bixiao was at the mountain gate, he had spoken a sentence to Cen Yuanji, who walked the spirit path every day at Jiling Peak. He asked her if her name was Cen Yuanji.

Her surname "Cen" meant "small but high, extremely steep." "Yuanji" was more common—it referred to a market-town brocade loom, with poetic connotations of shifting flower shadows.

Previously, at Guoyun Tower, Chen Ping'an had asked Lu Chen whether Cen Yuanji, along with her family, had been relocated to Longzhou and then to Luopo Mountain through his connections. Lu Chen just played dumb.

Before Xiao Mo went on his journey, he reminded Xie Gou again.

Bai Jing just waved her hand, indicating that with her at Luopo Mountain, there would be no accidents while Peak Master Chen was in seclusion.

Xiao Mo walked into the courtyard, transformed into a rainbow, and rose into the sky.

Bai Jing sat at the table, frowned, and took a big gulp of wine.

Jun Qian laughed heartily. "See? I told you he wouldn't be jealous."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Maybe not."

Bai Jing's eyes lit up, and she resumed her form as a girl in a martenskin cap. "Really?"

Chen Ping'an said, "Just a guess, not definitive."

Xie Gou rubbed her cap and curled her lip. "Ask Old Master Zhu; he would know for sure."

In the Qingming World, two bright moons hung in the sky together.

Like the eyes of a beauty, where the gaze lingers lies the human world.

The tall and sturdy old temple master walked out of the thatched hut.

The young Daoist squatting on the ground was a bit puzzled. What kind of person required his master to personally receive him?

Outside the hut, a thin, shabbily dressed Taoist lifted his eyelids. He saw a brilliant streak of sword light tearing through the sky, arriving at the bright moon in an instant.

It was a young man with a face Xiao Mo didn't recognize—wearing a yellow hat, green shoes, and carrying a green bamboo staff. He looked harmless, with the appearance of a youth.

The old temple master laughed as soon as he saw him. "Has she slept with you yet?"

Xiao Mo said helplessly, "Let's not talk about that."

The old temple master didn't let his friend off the hook. "I advised you long ago to take it easy. What's the difference if you sleep with her or she sleeps with you? Whoever sleeps whom, it's all sleeping."

Xiao Mo said, "Daoist friend Bixiao, if you keep talking like this, I'll leave."

Both disciples, inside and outside the hut, were extremely curious. Who was this that their master was so familiar with? And what's more, the other party could even threaten to leave.

Their master wasn't a Taoist who liked to joke around.

The old temple master laughed loudly and grabbed Xiao Mo's arm. "Come on, let's drink. It's still my homebrew. See if my skill has improved compared to back then."

Xiao Mo communicated silently, "There are two things I'd like to discuss with Daoist friend Bixiao."

"Isn't it just the ownership of that ancient mirror and the background of that little girl?"

The old temple master complained, "Daoist friend, it's been ten thousand years. It's not easy to meet again. Why do you have to talk about these trivial matters the moment we meet? It's terribly boring. If you're willing to chat about anything, even about my cheap junior nephew, that would be fine."

The "cheap junior nephew" the old temple master referred to was naturally the one who eagerly called himself uncle—the current sect leader of the White Jade Capital, Lu Chen.

Lu Chen had Five Dreams and Seven Heart-Phases. Among them, one dream and one heart-phase were very difficult to distinguish as one or two.

Furthermore, the Bone-White True Man, who was hiding like a fish that had slipped the net, and the Confucian scholar Zheng Huan, who had been taken back by Lu Chen, were two of the Five Dreams.

In the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, the one who had obtained that silver lotus Dao crown and was "stunned like a wooden chicken," Yu Zhenyi, and that yellow sparrow capable of examining literary fortune, were two of the Seven Heart-Phases born from the manifestation of the Dao on Lu Chen's cultivation path.

Xiao Mo was pulled to sit at a wooden table. The surface of the table rippled like water. Looking closely, it turned out to be another lotus flower blessed land, different from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.

Before sitting down, Xiao Mo didn't forget to introduce himself with a smile to the young Taoist.

Wang Yuanlu, who had become the old temple master's senior disciple just a few days ago, looked utterly flattered. The thin Taoist in a cotton Daoist robe had been standing with his hands folded by the table for a long time. He hurriedly performed a Daoist salute upon hearing the senior's introduction, almost kowtowing.

The old temple master commented with a smile on his senior disciple, "Sly and wicked, a good seedling."

Wang Yuanlu felt that neither description applied to him, but he didn't dare to contradict.

Xiao Mo nodded. "His aptitude for Dao cultivation is indeed rare."

"As for the one in the hut helping with alchemy, not worth mentioning. His only merit is that he's diligent in cultivation."

"A slow bloomer, but that won't stop him from becoming a rising star. When it comes to cultivation, having passed the threshold of aptitude, one must compete on hard work and a bit of luck. Since he has the Dao heart for diligent cultivation and is a disciple of Daoist friend Bixiao, how bad can his luck be? I imagine he will definitely have a place at the mountain peak in the future."

The young Daoist boy busy with alchemy inside the hut almost shed tears of gratitude upon hearing this heartwarming speech.

The old temple master exclaimed, "Daoist friend, it seems you haven't had any wine yet!"

Xiao Mo slapped the table and laughed. "As Daoist friend Bixiao says, let's get down to business first."

The business was, of course, drinking fine wine.

The old temple master waved his sleeve, and the table was filled with three types of his homebrew and three white bowls.

The three vintages of immortal brews were named One Hundred Years, A Thousand Autumns, and Ten Thousand Years.

Xiao Mo had heard Bixiao's explanation before. He first picked up a jug of One Hundred Years wine, not in a hurry to drink the other two. One of life's blessings was bitterness giving way to sweetness, gradually entering a better state.

Removing the mud seal, he filled a bowl, raised his head, and drank it all in one gulp. Then he poured two more bowls and drank them all in one go.

When it came to brewing and drinking wine with Daoist friend Bixiao, the concept of urging someone to drink was unknown.

The old temple master drank the same way, accompanying Xiao Mo in three straight bowls.

The old temple master suddenly frowned. "What's this about your flying sword?"

Xiao Mo smiled. "I detached it and gave it to a very talented little girl."

Wang Yuanlu had already moved to squat under the eaves of the thatched hut, hands tucked in his sleeves. His eyelids trembled hearing this. Do Flying Ascension pure sword cultivators always act so generously?

The old temple master raised his hand, pinched his fingers, and calculated. "This little girl's aptitude is indeed good. She's a born prodigy, one who comes with destiny. If you acknowledge a master-disciple relationship with this life-bound flying sword, it wouldn't be a waste."

Xiao Mo shook his head. "There's no master-disciple relationship. It doesn't matter."

The old temple master laughed heartily. "As expected of Daoist friend. That's the right style."

On the table, there were actually the fewest jugs of the One Hundred Years wine.

This showed the old temple master's way of treating guests.

Xiao Mo slapped his forehead, immediately stood up, and took out two meeting gifts from his sleeve. He walked toward the thatched hut and gave them to the young Taoist under the eaves and the alchemy boy inside.

Neither of them stood on ceremony with this generous mountain senior. One was genuinely scared of poverty, and the other had been carefree since childhood.

When Xiao Mo returned to his seat, the old temple master asked him silently, "When will you finish paying your debts and truly regain your freedom?"

Xiao Mo gestured grandly, pointing at the wine on the table. "One table, two Daoist friends, three kinds of wine. Isn't that already freedom?"

The old temple master smiled and nodded. "Have you ever met Zheng Juzhong?"

That fellow was fighting Yu Dou beyond the heavens. They had definitely fought for real. But both sides had an understanding not to fight to the death. There was no need for that.

When they reached their level, unless they revealed their true trump cards too early, even in a pointedly restrained exchange of Dao methods, their level of Dao achievement, number of techniques, killing power, and defensive strength would all be more or less apparent.

Xiao Mo shook his head. "I haven't had the chance to meet this City Lord Zheng yet."

The old temple master said casually, "Take that ancient mirror back to Luopo Mountain. As for that woman called Cen Yuanji, her background and origins are roughly related to some sect in Zhuzhou in the Qingming World. However, the identity of Cen Yuanji's past life isn't as grand as that of Zhu Lu. Tell Chen Ping'an not to overthink it. The past is the past. Lu Chen always takes a dump in the street and doesn't wipe his ass."

Xiao Mo didn't even say thank you. He just raised his wine bowl and drank it all in one go.

It was a very natural thing to do.

It was obvious that Chen Ping'an had underestimated the private friendship between Xiao Mo and the old temple master.

The old temple master smiled inexplicably. "I remember back then, such a long line of people followed behind a Taoist with a wooden hairpin. Walking on the road, it coiled like a snake. I really miss it."

Xiao Mo nodded. He remembered the "mute" youth at the very end of that line was the current Dao Ancestor.

That small early group of "Taoists" who followed beside "Immortal Attendant Daoist" almost all attained the Dao. The worst were Earth Immortals.

The old temple master sighed. "Achieve merit, then retire—this is the Way of Heaven."

Xiao Mo said, "Whether it's the heart for seeking the Dao or the skill for fighting, you are both inferior to him."

The guest's words were... the truth. But they made the youth inside the hut's hair stand on end, his body tensing, afraid that the table would be overturned outside and a fight would break out.

Wang Yuanlu, hands tucked in his sleeves, stared wide-eyed at the senior who was bringing up a sore point. He learned something: so this was how a guest could act!

They all knew that this was the one thing their master hated hearing most. No other topic!

Lu Chen didn't dare say it, the female crown bearer Wuzhou didn't dare, the Heavenly Immortal Dao officials of the White Jade Capital didn't dare. In fact, no mountain-top cultivator in the entire Qingming World would dare.

Unexpectedly, the old temple master just raised his wine bowl and said with a carefree smile, "Drink, drink."

Xiao Mo's eyes were clear, and he smiled faintly. "But I am only friends with Bixiao Dongzhu of the Luobao Beach. The wine is good, but the Daoist friend is even better."

The old temple master burst into laughter, his mood soaring.

At Luopo Mountain, Li Huai didn't get to see Chen Ping'an and Pei Qian. He took the fox spirit Wei Taitai back to their ancestral home. Unfortunately, most of the old neighbors had moved to the prefectural city.

That was fine, it saved Li Huai from explaining things. When he was a kid in open-crotch pants, the chubby Li Huai often hung out with the women and wives, listening to them gossip about family matters.

Lin Yupu and Dong Bancheng went together to Niujiao Ferry to pick up a schoolmate from the Great Li capital.

It was Shi Jiachun, long since married, with children who were already married themselves. It was impossible for her to still have two pigtails like when she was a child.

Shi Jiachun joked, "Dong Shuijing, that's not very considerate of you. I've heard of your name in the capital. You're so rich, why didn't you rent an immortal ferry boat for me to show off a bit, so I could pretend to be a rich mountain cultivator?"

Dong Shuijing smiled. "Wealth should not be revealed."

Lin Shouyi sneered. "Shi Jiachun, you probably don't know that a few years ago he was Dong Bancheng, but now we should call him Dong Banzhou. Not only could he have one of his ferry boats take you for a ride, but giving you one of his mountain ferries wouldn't be a big deal. Just a bit of pocket change for him."

Dong Shuijing said gruffly, "Shut up, Lin Yupu. Don't forget you still owe me a hundred immortal coins. Do you want me to charge you interest?"

Shi Jiachun clicked her tongue, sizing up Dong Shuijing. "Back in school, I always thought I was the best with numbers, that I'd make a fortune in business. I looked down on copper coins and only counted silver bits. I never thought you'd end up the richest. I just couldn't see it. If I'd known, I'd have sworn brotherhood with you back then."

Dong Shuijing smiled. "Are you going to stay at Luopo Mountain, or should I find you a place in the county or prefectural city?"

Lin Shouyi said, "Definitely the prefectural city. All the immortal inns there are run by the Dong family."

Shi Jiachun sighed, a smile in her eyes. "If I'd known, I'd have stuck to you back in school. Whether it's the Great Li capital or an immortal ferry, I'd never have to look at the price tag when buying anything."

Dong Shuijing looked helpless.

Shi Jiachun covered her mouth and laughed. "I have a daughter who hasn't found a good family yet. You saw her at the capital wedding last time, Dong Shuijing. Any thoughts?"

Lin Shouyi chuckled. "Dong Banzhou, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and call her mother-in-law."

Dong Shuijing's face darkened. "Pigtails, don't go too far. Jokes have limits. Don't copy Lin Yupu."

Shi Jiachun snapped back to reality. Her eyes widened, staring at Lin Shouyi. "Lin Yupu? Lin Shouyi! I remember you only reached the Nascent Soul a few years ago, and that was already intimidating enough. Now you're a Jade Purity realm immortal lord?!"

Dong Shuijing nodded. "That's right. Now he's all stuck-up, talking sideways all the time."

Shi Jiachun still had her childish spirit. She burst into laughter, and it took her a while to stop. She wiped the corners of her eyes with her hand and waved. "No more jokes. Dong Shuijing, just find me a place to stay in the town. Chuzhou City is too far from Luopo Mountain. Unlike you immortals, who treat flying through clouds and fog as routine, I've been seasick this whole trip, more uncomfortable than being pregnant. It's really too much. Staying in the town is better. I know my way around, and I can take walks every day."

Dong Shuijing nodded. "I have houses on Fulu Street and Taoye Lane, but they're under other people's names. You can pick one."

Lin Shouyi chuckled.

Shi Jiachun chose the house on Taoye Lane. Dong Shuijing produced a talisman boat, saying Shi Jiachun got seasick, so he asked the higher-realm Lin Yupu to steer.

At the entrance of the Taoye Lane property, Dong Shuijing opened the door. They walked past a spirit screen made of immortal materials and entered the front courtyard. He asked Shi Jiachun if she was satisfied. Shi Jiachun said she'd dreamed of living here as a child, so how could she not be satisfied? Dong Shuijing handed her a string of keys and said the house had been empty for a long time, with only periodic cleaning. So soon, a few women from the prefectural city's inns would come to clean the courtyard. Lin Shouyi was still chuckling, and Shi Jiachun was making "tsk tsk" sounds. Dong Shuijing, his thankless efforts unappreciated, cursed with a laugh.

Lin Shouyi asked if the esteemed residence had tea prepared. Dong Shuijing said he'd never been here himself, so he didn't know. If Lin wanted tea, he could find it himself.

Lin Shouyi went to rummage through the cabinets. Probably because this year's new tea wasn't on the market yet, he didn't find any. They chatted with Shi Jiachun for a while, then went to find Li Huai. Shi Jiachun didn't follow. She said she'd stroll around on her own. She left the courtyard and walked alone through her hometown. The Yansui Shop on Qilong Lane was next to the Caotou Shop. Both had been part of Shi Jiachun's family's property in the past. After the family moved to the capital, they were sold to Chen Ping'an.

The woman with crow's feet at the corners of her eyes bought a few pieces of pastry at the Yansui Shop. She squinted and smiled. The taste was still excellent.

Being a wife and mother all these years hadn't been bad.

As for her old classmates, they had all risen to prominence. She just had to be happy for them.

Shi Jiachun walked and walked. She felt a sudden sadness. She missed Teacher Qi.

She had heard Lin Shouyi say that Chen Ping'an had opened a village school in a small village.

For some reason, Shi Jiachun wasn't surprised at all.

She remembered when she was young, she had turned her head to look out the window and saw a dark, thin boy in straw sandals pacing outside the door. The boy's eyes were wide open. Probably because his skin was tanned dark, his eyes seemed especially bright. He opened his mouth several times and then closed it. He raised the back of his hand to wipe his forehead and finally called out, "Teacher Qi."

Teacher Qi walked out of the school and stood in front of the boy. The tall, slender teacher bent down slightly. The shy boy in straw sandals handed over a letter with both hands.

Vice Minister of Justice Zhao Yao called the Chuzhou Prefect Wu Yuan for a drink. They didn't choose the Chuzhou Prefectural office but a tavern. Guan Yiran, the Director of the Qingli Department of the Ministry of Revenue, called the Baoxi Commandery Governor Jing Kuan. Ma Yuan, who had moved from being the State's Accountant to Minister of Justice, had the highest official hat. He was also the patriarch of the Shangzhuguo Ma family, so he took the seat of honor.

Outside a long-sealed old school in the small town, an old man who had also taught there for many years turned his head and saw a burly man.

Ma Zhan's lips moved slightly, and he whispered, "Senior Brother Jun Qian."

Jun Qian patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "When you see the master, don't be tongue-tied. Among our group back then, you and Xiao Dong were the best at flattering, and you did it sincerely. The master loved hearing it. The rest of us weren't as good as the two of you in that regard."

Ma Zhan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Now with Chen Ping'an, Junior Brother Mao and I can take a rest."

Jun Qian glared. "What?"

Ma Zhan quickly corrected himself. "I mean, the junior apprentice brother."

Back then in front of the master, you weren't this fond of putting on airs with us junior apprentices.

Jun Qian said, "The junior apprentice brother is different from you two. His isn't what you call flattery."

Ma Zhan smiled. "Then what is it?"

Jun Qian thought seriously for a moment but couldn't come up with a more suitable phrase.

After parting with her master and leaving the Jiu Hua Ferry in Qingxing Kingdom, Pei Qian returned alone to Huaihuang County. She walked through a familiar old alley in the small town. She remembered that when she was little and went to school, there was always a white goose lying in ambush here. They would chase and fight, like old enemies meeting, their eyes blazing with hatred. They fought almost every day. When they got into it, she'd grab the goose by the neck and throw it against the wall. "Little brother, take that!"... Of course, she'd control her strength. A worthy opponent like this, hard to find, must be cherished.

But later, there was a minor incident that ended with her paying damages, so she took the left and right guardians of Qilong Lane and took a detour.

Back then, her master wasn't home, so Little Black Charcoal didn't think there was anything to say.

The book said, "It's hard to go from luxury to frugality." When Pei the Female Knight had been wandering alone in Nanyuan Kingdom's capital, she had eaten her fill of grievances every day. Now that she had come to her master's house, she couldn't just live a life of immortals every day and not be able to bear the slightest grievance.

That was what she said, but it was still a grievance hard to let go of. After all, Little Black Charcoal had a good memory.

But after she followed her junior brother to the Sword Qi Great Wall and saw her master, Little Black Charcoal truly felt it didn't matter anymore.

That legendary Sword Qi Great Wall was indeed higher than the sea of clouds! At night, there were three bright moons in the sky, the heavens and earth vast!

When she returned home, the big white goose said that every grievance in our hearts was like a barnyard grass in the rice field.

The big white goose also said that as long as a person's heart-field was vast enough, there was no need to worry about a few barnyard grasses that had emerged.

Pei Qian thought what the big white goose said made sense. It had at least ten percent of her master's skill!

Today, as she walked down the layered steps of Qilong Lane, Pei Qian first went to the Caotou Shop to greet Zhao Denggao and Tian Jiuer. After a few words, she noticed that the shop had gained a second-in-command, a Taoist.

He introduced himself as Lin Feijing, with no Dao name. He had recently become a disciple of Immortal Attendant Daoist. He wasn't the second-in-command, just an errand boy.

Pei Qian entered the neighboring Yansui Shop. Behind the counter, a little mute girl was reading a book on a stool. When she saw her master, her lips moved, her voice barely a whisper.

Pei Qian pretended not to hear. All disciples are like this, but this wasn't like her. When she was little, every time she called out "Master," it was thunderous.

Shi Rou was busy in the backyard of the shop. Pei Qian lifted the curtain and went to the backyard. "Shopkeeper Shi," she said with a smile.

Shi Rou said softly, "You're back."

Pei Qian hmmed. "Master told us all to return to Luopo Mountain soon."

Shi Rou asked, "Are you going to eat a meal before going up the mountain?"

Pei Qian nodded with a smile. "We were already planning to stop by the shop at this hour."

Shi Rou looked at the graceful young woman. Now she was so refined, like she had emerged from a scholarly family. A few years ago, this would have been unimaginable.

When Pei Qian was still Little Black Charcoal, she was really rambunctious.

Pei Qian took out a gift from her sleeve and lowered her voice. "Sister Shi Rou, I bought it on the way. I already stopped by the shop next door. Sister Jiuer has one too."

Shi Rou quickly stopped her work, rubbed her hands together, took the gift with a smile, and thanked Pei Qian.

Above the Old Dragon City, a cross-prefecture ferry from Tongye Prefecture. A white-clothed boy with a mole between his eyebrows sat on the railing, his eyes full of smiles, chattering incessantly. It could well be called flattery. By the railing stood a woman in red, with a wine flask at her waist and a narrow saber at her side. This was probably what is meant by "like beancurd in brine, one thing subdues another." This scene made Xie Xie, who was on the side, very envious, but he didn't dare to show it. Yu Lu asked Cui Dongshan if this ferry would stop somewhere in the sea of clouds, because he had heard that there was a rare kind of cloud-footed fish there. He planned to cast a line and fish a bit. Cui Dongshan said that ordinarily, it wouldn't stop, but it didn't matter—they had money!

Cao Qinglang was teaching Zheng Youqian some exegetical tips and reading insights. Cui Dongshan turned his head and said, "Youqian, this is a unique mental method