Chapter 1065: A Hundred Years of Lonely Wanderings in the Martial World

Chapter 1065: A Hundred Years of Lonely Wanderings in the Martial World

The capital of Nanyuan Kingdom was called Daliang. Chen Ping'an had a thorough understanding of the city's features, so he chose a bustling late-night eatery to eat grilled fish.

On the outskirts of the capital, there was the Green Celery River. The black fish in it were exceptionally plump and delicious. Grilled fish paired with Daliang's Lotus White liquor was an unbeatable combination. Because it was affordable and tasty, both high-ranking officials and common folk loved it. However, as soon as Chen Ping'an picked up his chopsticks, he knew that this black fish was the kind that had been transported from another pond and soaked in the Green Celery River for a few days—a "fish that had changed households." Still, he didn't say anything. He glanced at the current young shopkeeper whose face was a perfect replica of the old shopkeeper from years ago. Presumably, the old shopkeeper had grown old and passed the restaurant and its craft on to his son. The secret chili oil and seasonings for the grilled fish were the same, but it lacked a certain flavor—a flavor called "honesty." Of course, it was also possible that the restaurant was a small operation, and now that Green Celery River fish had become an exclusive luxury for the wealthy of Daliang City, this roadside establishment's extra seasoning was simply called "making a living."

Earlier, Chen Ping'an had led the way to the small restaurant. There was an empty table against the wall with two benches. Liu Xianyang sat down first, occupying one bench in the middle. He reached out and slapped the table, asking if there was any alcohol.

Gu Can had been standing by the table. Chen Ping'an gestured for him to sit on the inside. After Gu Can sat down, he reached out and moved the end of the bench closer to Chen Ping'an outward a bit. Only when Chen Ping'an moved to sit down did Gu Can adjust the bench back to its original position.

In the old days, when they sat on the ridges of the fields, the child's head would have been about level with the youth's shoulder. Now, they sat shoulder to shoulder.

Chen Ping'an picked up his bowl, took a sip of the liquor. Fortunately, the locally brewed Lotus White still had its original taste. He asked, "Gu Can, does the White Emperor City have any spiritual books or secret manuals on the art of Qi observation?"

Gu Can replied, "Yes, and there are many of them. My master has clearly been very interested in the series of sideline techniques and Daoist lineages derived from the Qi observation tradition for a long time. From all the Daoist texts collected and plundered across the nine states of Haoran, the White Emperor City has its own specialized publishing bureau. It has a complete set of catalogs and editions that are updated every ten years, divided into three major categories: chronological history, general history, and local gazetteers. The number of books is enormous, comparable to the imperial library collection of a small country. Members of the Patriarch Hall, like Han Qiaose and Liu Chicheng, each have a copy, making it convenient for them to select relevant Daoist texts according to their own cultivation paths. When I first entered the White Emperor City, although I was a direct disciple of the city lord, according to the city's rules, one couldn't enter the Patriarch Hall without being in the upper five realms. At that time, I asked Han Qiaose for a set of keys so I could go to her library and read freely. I once carefully went through the catalogs and privately made some excerpts that violated the rules. I remember there were over 2,300 books specifically explaining the historical origins of various countries' imperial astronomical observatories and the cultivation methods of Qi observation."

Chen Ping'an sighed, "Above the clouds, there is a sea of books."

Everyone knew that on the Central Earth Divine Continent, there was the White Emperor City, nestled among colorful clouds. But very little was known to the outside world about the inner workings of the White Emperor City—who the Patriarch Hall members were, how the internal institutions were organized, or the relationships between its Daoist lineages.

Whenever people mentioned that solitary city shrouded in colorful clouds, Qi refiners on the mountains would always stop short. Aside from the fact that a single banner had stood for three thousand years, bearing the words "Dare to be the first under heaven," meaning no one had ever been able to beat Zheng Juzhong on the chessboard, they would be curious about Han Qiaose—whether she had fulfilled her vow to master twelve great Dao techniques, and if she had mastered them all. Or they would talk about Liu Daochun's Glazed Pavilion, which had been expanded again, and about how, during his travels, he had once again crossed paths with some peak cultivator he didn't get along with. When he caused trouble, he would hide in the White Emperor City. If he couldn't avoid it, he would put on that eye-catching pink Daoist robe and announce his own name. Otherwise, they would discuss whether the sword immortal Fu Jin, Zheng Juzhong's first direct disciple, who wore a sword-nurturing gourd formed from a vine planted by the ancestor, would ever reach the height of Pei Min's swordsmanship in his lifetime, and whether he could ever catch up to that Zuo You.

Liu Xianyang grabbed a big piece of fish with his chopsticks, chewed, and laughed, "Off-topic, aren't you two?" Tonight, all three were speaking in their hometown dialect.

He knew full well that Gu Can wanted to talk more about the White Emperor City's customs with Chen Ping'an, but Liu Xianyang deliberately ruined it. According to that little snot-nosed brat back then, Liu Xianyang had a foul mouth. If he didn't talk about something vulgar or dirty, he wouldn't know how to chat.

Gu Can said, "After I advanced to the Jade Pure Realm, I qualified to have my own library. I spent some effort collating and organizing, and came to a conclusion. Setting aside the numerous editions and the descriptive texts in the local gazetteers, and taking only a single collated edition that explains the intricacies of Qi observation—provided that the overlapping content between each book doesn't exceed twenty percent—the White Emperor City probably has about sixty-two such Daoist texts."

Liu Xianyang smacked his lips, "Nitpicking and weighing every word like that. Gu Can, you've got the air of a master of textual criticism now. If you ask me, you're more than qualified to be a Confucian scholar teaching exegesis at an academy. I hear you have a nickname—Madman? It's good for a scholar to be a bit mad. Back at the Chunru Chen family academy, there was a lecturer who specialized in annotating the Inner and Outer Chapters of Chancellor Lu. The first time he taught us, the old master said that there was only one and a half people in the world who truly understood the essence of the Inner and Outer Chapters."

Chen Ping'an said irritably, "Can you just drink your liquor? I'm discussing serious matters with Gu Can."

Liu Xianyang said with a grin, "If you two can guess who that one and a half are, I'll shut up."

Gu Can said, "The one is Lu Shen himself, and the half is that old master?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head.

Gu Can suddenly understood.

The answer must be even more arrogant. Lu Shen, the author of the Inner and Outer Chapters, counted as half a person, while the old master teaching the class was the "one."

Liu Xianyang laughed heartily, "Gu Can, I've said it before—when it comes to quick wits, the two of us together are no match for Chen Ping'an, that tight-lipped guy."

Gu Can said, "Did I ever argue when you said that back then? The only thing we argued about was which of the two of us was quicker."

"Go on chatting. I'll be sensible and just drink and eat meat, so I don't get in your way."

Liu Xianyang picked up his white bowl, swirled it, the liquor rippling. He picked up a piece of grilled fish with his chopsticks. "At a time like this, shouldn't someone compose a poem? Who's up for it?"

Gu Can rolled his eyes. Damn it, Liu Xianyang.

Chen Ping'an smiled, "Drowsy, I think of home, when the black fish lands on the chopsticks. A small bowl of Lotus White, tipsy, drives away ten thousand sorrows."

Liu Xianyang let out an "eh" sound. "Where'd you copy that from?"

Chen Ping'an smiled, "The poem is titled 'Impromptu Composition While Passing Through Daliang City on a Moonlit Night, Eating Fish and Drinking with Friends.'"

Liu Xianyang asked, "Did you really make that up? Can I borrow it?"

Chen Ping'an smiled, "Help yourself."

Gu Can said, "I've brought those sixty-plus books with me. This time I came to the blessed land to give them to your Fallen Mountain, as a belated congratulatory gift for founding the sect."

Liu Xianyang asked, "Doesn't Fallen Mountain have a subordinate sect? Aren't you going to make up for that too?"

Gu Can looked askance at him, "What's it to you? Did you make up for it? If Liu Xianyang ever gave a gift to Fallen Mountain—even a single copper coin counts—I'll get up right now, go to the alley outside the restaurant, take off my pants, and shit in the street. And I'll announce my name to every passerby."

Liu Xianyang rubbed his chin.

In their hometown, there was a saying, "Having a caring heart," which was very different from the written term "hesitating." It meant a person was very attentive to family. So when an elder said someone had a caring heart, it was a genuine compliment. In this regard, Liu Xianyang, whose heart had been big since childhood, indeed couldn't compare to the little snot-nosed brat from Mud Vase Lane. When it came to attachment to one's hometown, Liu Xianyang, who had wanted to go out and see the world since he was a boy, was even less comparable to Chen Ping'an, who loved his home.

Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "Did you and Zhu Lian get together early on?"

Gu Can first glanced at Chen Ping'an's expression, then nodded slightly, "Some ideas were proposed by me, and Mr. Zhu went along with the flow."

It turned out that back then, after Gu Can brought Ma Duyi and Zeng Ye back to their hometown, before Gu Can left for the White Emperor City, Zhu Lian, following his master's instructions, went to the Gu family in Longzhou and returned a charcoal basket to its rightful owner. After Zhu Lian handed the basket to Gu Can, he smiled and said something that clever people could understand. The gist was that Zhu Lian was actually happy to go down the mountain, but Fallen Mountain had many household chores, so it had been delayed.

Gu Can understood the hint. After Zhu Lian left Longzhou to return to the mountain, Gu Can set out for the White Emperor City on an immortal ferry. Soon, he began a very covert correspondence with Zhu Lian. That simple sword room on Fallen Mountain had always been personally managed by Zhu Lian. It was through the content of those secret letters that Zhu Lian learned that Gu Can had not only planted moles in the Shujian Lake area but had long since started infiltrating Zhengyang Mountain and the Xu family of Qingfeng City. At the time, Gu Can had limited resources and was cautious, so those planted spies couldn't truly access the secrets of those two factions. But after Gu Can became Zheng Juzhong's direct disciple at the White Emperor City, his infiltration of those two factions took a big leap forward, with remarkable results. For example, one of the pawns Gu Can had recruited was a seductive middle-five-realm female ghost. Gu Can gave her a water-element manual and several rare spirit artifacts enough to support her cultivation all the way to the Golden Core realm. Later, she happened to meet a young sword immortal from Water Dragon Peak, who was in charge of intelligence at Zhengyang Mountain. He kept her as a hidden concubine in one of Zhengyang Mountain's subsidiary sects.

From then on, all she had to do was nothing.

Because Gu Can had agreed with her on a one-time deal, promising at least not to make her sacrifice her life. As for when he needed her to do something, she just had to wait patiently for his message. It might be ten years, or a hundred years, or she might never receive that letter in her lifetime. In fact, when Gu Can promised her that following the plan wouldn't cost her life, she was skeptical. The gentle young man in scholar's robes smiled and said two things to her.

"Miss, don't be ungrateful. The things I've given you, by the old market rates of Shujian Lake, could have bought your life twice over."

"Since the price is fair, why must we break the window paper and make both of us uncomfortable? Miss, can't you even deceive yourself?"

For example, another pawn that had taken root and branched out in Qingfeng City was a wild cultivator from the southern mountains of Shujian Lake who had once been a mountain bandit. He was a Golden Core Earth Immortal. In the past, he had a conflict with the bookkeeper of Green Gorge Island, who had taken Gu Can along on his travels. It almost came to a life-and-death struggle. After Gu Can arrived at the White Emperor City, he soon sent this person a reward: two Daoist texts carefully selected by Gu Can from his aunt Han Qiaose's collection, ranked as "mid-to-upper" quality by the White Emperor City. To be precise, one was a precious Daoist text that was like a timely gift for the Earth Immortal's current cultivation. In the secret letter, Gu Can made a "bet" with him in plain terms. The other text, a superfluous addition, was sent to him. He could read it or not, and after reading it, he could practice it or not. Only by practicing the Dao technique recorded in that book would Gu Can consider the bet automatically fulfilled. When that bottlenecked Golden Core Earth Immortal eventually advanced to the Nascent Soul realm, his life would belong to Gu Can.

The benefits had already been given, and were all gentleman's agreements without oaths or written terms. If they broke the agreement and thought Gu Can was easy to talk to, then just wait and see.

Later, Zhu Lian went down the mountain once, under the alias "Yan Fang," and opened a cosmetics shop in Qingfeng City, where he contacted two of Gu Can's spies.

This helped Zhu Lian successfully steal the Fox Kingdom, giving him a significant advantage.

Chen Ping'an looked at Gu Can, who seemed to want to say something but held back. Chen Ping'an smiled and shook his head, "It's nothing. After three years as the boss, even the dogs hate you. Managing things and bothering others isn't likable. I'm used to being a hands-off shopkeeper. You and Zhu Lian's flirting—I'll turn a blind eye."

Gu Can didn't explain or defend himself. He just took a sip of liquor.

Chen Ping'an said, "When this hands-off shopkeeper returned to his hometown, he found that the blessed land had already raised its rank by two levels at once. Then I thought of an opportunity to observe the Dao, to try my luck and see the process of this world nurturing its first native sword cultivator. I used something like 'heavenly eye'."

Liu Xianyang and Gu Can almost asked in unison, "And?" "But?"

Chen Ping'an smiled, "The result had a 'but.' But being observed from outside, I ended up catching nothing. Trying my luck like this... well, it's hard to explain."

Liu Xianyang laughed heartily, "Still the same as ever."

Under the table, Gu Can kicked Liu Xianyang in the shin. Liu Xianyang winced and glared, "Take it easy, don't hit my crotch. I'm about to get married and drink the bridal cup. Don't make your sister-in-law a widow."

Gu Can said, "Then say less sarcastic things."

Liu Xianyang retorted angrily, "What's sarcastic about it? The three of us—which of us was born with a silver spoon? If I were a brat from Fortune Street or Peach Leaf Lane, and my words were unpleasant, that would be 'standing and talking without back pain.' When I met you two, I had all these skills and martial arts. Which one of them wasn't because I was smart early on, a poor kid learning early to take care of himself, just by watching others and picking it up?"

Chen Ping'an had to mediate, as usual.

Gu Can thought for a moment, then picked up his liquor bowl, "Let's toast to that."

Liu Xianyang reached out and pressed down on the bowl, unwilling, "Toast what? You hesitated just now. Your sincerity isn't genuine. I'm heartbroken."

Gu Can began cursing, drawing from the "Patriarch Hall" of their hometown's invisible traditions. His curses were varied and inventive, covering all ancestors for eighteen generations.

Chen Ping'an didn't stop him, just watched the entertainment with a smile. Liu Xianyang tried to retort but was no match for Gu Can. It was well known among the young people and children of their hometown that the little snot-nosed brat from the widow's house in Mud Vase Lane had the best "talent," was the fiercest in arguments, the youngest, yet always had fresh new ways to curse. Even Granny Ma from Apricot Blossom Lane had suffered. There was often a pile of shit at her doorstep in the morning, and yellow snot on her door and courtyard walls. The old woman wanted to catch that damn little brat from Mud Vase Lane in the act, but every time she deliberately turned off the lights and stayed up late, she still couldn't outlast that clever little bastard. Eventually, the old woman couldn't stand that little snot's cunning. Once, when drawing water at the Iron Lock Well, she forced herself to say a few nice words to that vixen widow. When the widow returned to Mud Vase Lane, she was overjoyed, as if it were New Year's. She mentioned this to the little snot, who just listened silently. After that, Apricot Blossom Lane wasn't so filthy. The old woman was helpless; she didn't dare murmur publicly, only cursing under her breath that the widow's house was raising a monster, a sin from a past life. Just wait, sooner or later, heaven would take him...

The argument ended with a clear winner and loser. In the end, Liu Xianyang gloomily drank a bowl of liquor. He could have just drunk it without inviting a scolding.

Liu Xianyang suddenly said, "Chen Ping'an, what's wrong with you? Don't you care about your own sworn brother? We're both sword cultivators, aren't we? When it comes to luck, that's my forte, not yours, right?"

Gu Can almost started cursing but held back. How much bad karma must the Dragon Spring Sword Sect have accumulated to end up with such an unreliable new sect master?

Chen Ping'an said, "I've already thought about this, but do you think it's appropriate?"

Even if I'm willing and you, Sect Master Liu, agree, what about the Dragon Spring Sword Sect? Would they be willing to owe Fallen Mountain such a favor?

If we're not careful, I'm afraid I won't even get to drink at your wedding, let alone be your best man.

Liu Xianyang sighed, "That's a fairly legitimate reason. Let's drop this for now and talk about it later."

Chen Ping'an raised his liquor bowl, "It's rare for us to be together. Let's all have a drink."

Each drank. Liu Xianyang wiped his mouth, put down his empty bowl, and chuckled, "None of us like listening to others preach. If we listen to some principles and can't live up to them, it's like borrowing a charcoal basket in winter to warm up for a moment, then having to return it. Suddenly, the winter feels colder. So it's better not to have it at all."

Gu Can said, "More like, in the dead of winter, someone walks on the road in thin clothes. Seeing everyone else carrying a warm bamboo charcoal basket, but only their principles allow them to live well."

Chen Ping'an chewed some fish and took a sip of liquor, smiling, "So don't be fond of teaching others. First, live your own life well. Whether it tastes good or not, whether the material is useful or not, everyone walks their own path, and flowers bear their own fruit."

Liu Xianyang exclaimed, "What kind of drunken talk is that? Are you drunk after just one drink?"

Gu Can said, "Drinking uses the mouth. Say less, just drink. Don't be a chamber pot."

Liu Xianyang said helplessly, "Chen Ping'an, aren't you going to control him? If you don't control that little snot who sprays shit everywhere, I'll have to control you!"

Chen Ping'an reached out and smacked Gu Can on the head, "Winning an argument is losing. Don't you understand such a simple truth? Drink your liquor."

Even though Chen Ping'an was the one who hit Gu Can, Gu Can was staring at Liu Xianyang. Liu Xianyang almost shed bitter tears as he drank, "Brothers, don't just sit there idle. There are three sect masters at this table."

Indeed, who would have thought that a small hill where they once huddled together for warmth in their hometown would, tonight at the same table, soon become three sect masters of Haoran Sky?

Gu Can glanced at Liu Xianyang, silently downed a bowl of liquor, refilled it, and downed it again. When Gu Can reached for a third bowl, Liu Xianyang got a bit anxious. This Lotus White wasn't strong liquor, but it couldn't take Gu Can's way of drinking. He signaled Chen Ping'an with his eyes—you're the only one who can control him. Let him not drink so fiercely. Chen Ping'an just shook his head, indicating not to interfere. Liu Xianyang watched Gu Can finish his third bowl, then looked at Chen Ping'an, asking with his eyes, is Gu Can on something? Chen Ping'an smiled, knowing the reason, but said nothing.

In their hometown, Liu Xianyang and Gu Can each had their own stories of clinging to each other. Gu Can was raised by his mother; Liu Xianyang remembered only his grandfather from when he was a child.

Liu Xianyang's grandfather was a notorious drunkard, addicted to alcohol. He would go to a few wine shops almost every day to drink a few ounces of loose liquor. He'd finish standing up, chat idly, and then go home.

He couldn't always afford to pay, so he'd beg for liquor, cadge drinks. When his craving hit, he'd shamelessly ask for a few sips. He was famous far and wide, leading to many jokes. Even those on Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Lane had heard of Old Man Liu's exploits. So Liu Xianyang never went to school; he never attended a single day of school. He started working the fields very young. The frequent fights in his youth were almost always because his peers or some grown men had badmouthed his grandfather. Later, he met Chen Ping'an from Mud Vase Lane, and then met the little shadow who followed Chen Ping'an around. One time, Gu Can was pushed to the edge by Liu Xianyang's teasing and started listing the great accomplishments of Old Man Liu... That was the first time Chen Ping'an ever got angry at the little snot. Afterwards, Gu Can felt very wronged, crouching on the ridge and wailing. When a hand rested on his head, the tired little snot, still sobbing, asked, "Liu Xianyang says such nasty things, can't I say anything?" Chen Ping'an just said one thing, "Think about it. Has Liu Xianyang ever said a single word about your mother?"

The child fell silent, just sniffling. The straw-shoe-clad youth beside him reached out and wiped away the child's tears and snot.

In the end, the skinny youth carried the child home, walking along the ridge in the sunset. The tall youth hadn't walked far; he grinned, raised a stalk of dog's-tail grass in his hand, swaying it. On it were skewered stream fish he'd just caught.

Liu Xianyang seemed to be born with a tendency to forget such things quickly. He never held grudges, not in his heart.

But Gu Can, who had a good memory since childhood, never admitted fault, and hated saying sorry, certainly remembered.

At the table, Liu Xianyang started bragging again, "With our talents, I'm naturally first, Gu Can second, and Chen Ping'an, you'll be at the bottom. Don't talk about a thousand years from now. Just give us another three to five hundred years of cultivation, and then watch out! Not just in our Haoran Sky, but in all other skies, when the Qi refiners hear and see the three of us—especially my great name, Liu Xianyang—they'll have to think twice before messing with any of us. And when it comes to that, Gu Can is the main focus."

Hearing this, Chen Ping'an said, "You can start cursing now. I won't stop you."

Gu Can smiled, "For once, he's saying something true."

Each raised their liquor bowl and clinked them lightly.

Once upon a time, the last Hidden Officer stood alone on the city wall, half-human, half-ghost. It was uncertain if he would ever make it home alive.

Liu Xianyang returned home after studying at the Chunru Chen family academy on the Southern Bottle Gourd Continent, achieving nothing in either scholarship or swordsmanship, unknown. He had just turned forty and hadn't even made the list of the top ten young talents of Bottle Gourd Continent.

Gu Can entered the White Emperor City like diving into the deep sea, and then there was no news.

"Liu Xianyang's swordsmanship, Chen Ping'an's fist techniques, Gu Can... you just learn whatever Dao techniques you can. We've had our drink today. Let's keep working hard, cultivate well. Then, when we fight, we won't back down! Asking about fists, asking about swords, or asking about the Dao—all seem too monotonous. So, let's ask about everything together!"

Such "big talk" about the future and what was to come—in the old days, Gu Can was too young to think of it, Chen Ping'an wasn't used to saying it. Only Liu Xianyang wanted to say it, was willing to say it, and dared to say it.

---

At the border between the Northern Jin and Song Lai Kingdoms, there was Autumn Qi Lake. In the center of the lake was an island, and on the island sat a Daoist temple called Great Wood Temple.

At the temple's entrance hung a pair of wooden couplets, which were very long Dragon Gate couplets. The calligraphy was based on a rubbing from a not-so-ancient calligraphy copy. The wooden carvings were in seal script, executed with great skill. This was the work of the carver, a second-order distortion. If one could see the original calligraphy, it would surely have an even more ancient aura.

"Sitting in a well, the sky is small; the sun and moon are exceptionally bright. Sword light crisscrosses, seeing no one in the eyes, settling the king's affairs. At night, I observe the Big Dipper. How many in the world achieve the three immortalities? The cinnabar door knocks, and the giant tree in the temple meditates and reaches for the sky. Who is walking on the road together?"

"Autumn water, high spirit; white bones litter the weeds; Drinking water, crossing the river, clearing the way on the road. Cao Guan gave a spiritual book; together we read the Nanhua Chapter. Only I attain the Dao and gain eternal life. The red dust rolls away; the green snake in the box asks about the truth and the mystery. I am a land immortal!"

If a visitor arriving on the island stood at the temple gate and lacked some knowledge of ancient texts, seeing this couplet, they probably wouldn't even recognize all the characters.

The temple master of Great Wood Temple was Gong Hua, with the Daoist name "Qingci." She also served as the Water Lord of this lake. Gong Hua was a stunningly beautiful female Daoist, around thirty years old. She carried an ancient sword on her back, the scabbard wrapped in gold thread, containing a famous sword called "Hengqiu."

It was said that in a previous life, she had been a martial arts grandmaster. After death, a spark of spirit refused to dissipate, becoming a heroic spirit. She retrieved her former sword, roamed the heavens and earth with it, and finally stopped at this great lake, building the Great Wood Temple and declaring herself the Lake Lord. But when a heroic spirit or ghost becomes a deity, the day of becoming a god is the "day of achievement" for the mountain they occupy, similar to a Qi refiner advancing to the Immortal realm, able to reshape bones, appearance, and posture—a kind of "renewal."

The visitors who landed were classified into different grades by her, the host. At this moment, only seven people, including the temple master herself, were invited to drink tea in the Falling Flowers Courtyard.

The six outsiders were Gao Jun, the head of the Lake Mountain Sect, and the five Mountain Lords of the great sacred mountains, each with their own pseudonyms or Daoist names.

Gao Jun wore an imitation silver lotus crown, a yellow Daoist robe, and a pair of Azure Cloud shoes with misty talismans and dense patterns.

She was the last to cross the threshold for the discussion. Earlier, outside the room, Gao Jun had made a secret sword gesture unique to her lineage, then performed a Daoist bow, "Greetings to Lake Lord Gong and all fellow Daoists."

Seeing this immortal lord