Chapter 1074: I Knew You Would Be Misled by the Word "Immortal"

Chapter 1074: I Knew You Would Be Misled by the Word "Immortal"

Surrounded by a crowd of elites, standing alone, yet he still proactively invited everyone to come at him together? Asking about the Dao or asking about the sword, either was fine.

As soon as Chen Ping'an spoke these words, the entire Great Wood Temple was enveloped in a thick, murderous atmosphere.

The once white-robed banished immortal youth, now a middle-aged green-robed swordsman, wore a gentle smile and spoke in a mild tone, with not a trace of harshness on his face. His demeanor was so calm... it was like a schoolteacher lecturing a bunch of unruly children, telling them to memorize their lessons better later, or they'd have to stand up and take a beating.

Zhou Shuzhen's expression changed slightly. She had only hoped to use Jiang Quan's revenge-seeking momentum to give Chen Ping'an a show of force, to start today's discussions on a good note. Of course, the price they would pay would be very high.

Jiang Quan, who had come here to seek vengeance, was bound to die without a doubt.

Zhou Shuzhen also harbored a death wish within her heart. As for whether she would die and have her Dao extinguished, her soul scattered, it all depended on how heavily the other party struck, whether he would kill, and whether he would allow her to die.

Wasn't her fate like this exactly the fate of this entire world? People were the chopping block, and they were the fish and meat! The good or bad of the mortal world, blessings and calamities, merits and sins, were all controlled by the hands of others!

But she did not wish for a discussion that she had started off well, helping Gao Jun and the others gain a first-mover advantage, to turn into a free-for-all brawl like in the marketplaces. That would be utterly useless for the future of this world, only forcing Fallen Mountain to resort to killing, leaving no room for any comeback. If it came to that, Chen Ping'an and Fallen Mountain would have a reason to go on a killing spree, and she would become the chief culprit for the bloodbath across this world. That was not what she wanted!

Cao Ni smiled and said, "I'm only used to sparring one-on-one, not fighting alongside others. If there's going to be a noisy scuffle later, I won't be getting up."

Chen Ping'an extended a hand toward the temple gate, smiling slightly. "Jiang Quan, you don't want to delay the discussions for too long, and neither do I. Let's finish talking quickly so I can go home early. Draw your blade now."

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, this River God's Son, considered one of the top three blade masters in the world, had the hand that drew his blade bulging with blue veins. The spot where the young grandmaster stood was stirred by a surging tide of released Qi, his sleeves billowing and snapping loudly, dust on the ground rippling outward like water rings.

The grandmaster's aura was indeed not weak.

But soon, people noticed something amiss. You, River God's Son, have been building your stance and preparing your killing stroke blade technique for this long? Were you feeling fear, retreating at the last moment?

Or was your ultimate trump card blade technique, following that ruthless one-stroke style, meant to decide victory and life or death the moment it was unleashed? So you were trying to find a flaw in Sword Immortal Chen's fist intent?

Chen Ping'an finished speaking to Jiang Quan, then turned his head toward Cao Ni and said amiably, "Since you've already stood up, why be so polite? What do you think, Cao Ni?"

Cao Ni laughed it off. But when he tried to sit back down, he was horrified to find that he couldn't even bend his knees!

The pure true Qi inside his body circulated without any hindrance, and his hands could move freely, but his legs... were completely immobile!

Taking advantage of this moment when Chen Ping'an was "chatting" with others, Huai Fu turned her head to look at Gao Jun, who was seated in the main seat. Her eyes asked a question: Was this Jiang Quan, this River God's Son seeking revenge against Chen Ping'an, or rather the ghostly creature Jiang Quan, a planted move arranged by your Lake Mountain Sect?

Gao Jun shook her head. She had not known in advance that Jiang Quan would appear at Autumn Qi Lake. She had never even heard the name Jiang Quan before.

As for the name Gu Ling, Gao Jun had some impression of it. Back when the Southern Garden capital tried to set an ambush to kill the banished immortal, she seemed to have wanted to snatch the first glory by blocking Chen Ping'an on the street.

Tang Tieyi was quite shocked. This rebel warrior, holding a horizontal blade across his knees, instinctively reached out to stroke the scabbard, then turned to look at the former master of the Reverence Tower, who still bore the identity of a martial artist. Had Zhou Shuzhen taken the wrong medicine? Why was she so reckless? Jiang Quan openly provoking Chen Ping'an, at least for revenge, had some logic to it. A lone horseman, dying was fine. But the Southern Garden Kingdom and the Reverence Tower had no legs to run away. Weren't they afraid of dragging their national fortune and family business down with them, and having Fallen Mountain settle the account after the autumn harvest?

Tang Tieyi shifted his gaze slightly. Wei Liang and the lake-dragon girl with the dao name "Unhooking the Horn" had temporarily missed the discussions. The neighboring two chairs had different occupants. Had Chen Ping'an and Fallen Mountain sensed something wrong at the last minute and struck first?

At last night's Falling Flower Hall discussions, they, these few emperors, along with the Five Great Mountain Lords, had roughly worked out a result, reaching a consensus.

As the master of the blessed land, the "upper realm" Fallen Mountain, Chen Ping'an had to acknowledge the autonomy of this world. He had to be willing to sign a landscape oath contract with them, with a minimum term of three hundred years. With a written oath in black and white, both sides could only then talk today. According to the agenda set at last night's Falling Flower Hall meeting, today, the nominal number one in the world, Gao Jun of Lake Mountain Sect, would be the first to "make a move" against Chen Ping'an's Fallen Mountain, bringing up this matter.

Cheng Yuanshan was both shocked and impressed by Cao Ni's words beside him. He hadn't expected this taciturn swordsman to be so arrogant. It wasn't a simple grand boast; it was a willingness to bet his entire martial arts career and Jianghu reputation. Look, Cao Ni still hadn't sat down. He just stood there, a true hero!

In the Jianghu, Cao Ni had always been known for his aloofness and eccentricity. He neither established a sect to accept disciples nor liked to spar with others. He preferred to walk the Jianghu alone, under an alias, climbing mountains and crossing rivers. He didn't seem like one of the Four Great Grandmasters but more like a Confucian scholar indifferent to fame. Plus, Cao Ni's martial arts achievements were a late bloom, so when the Reverence Tower selected its grandmasters and Cao Ni made the list, most Jianghu people were bewildered.

That "Immortal Yu" of Lake Mountain Sect, who cultivated Dao techniques and had rejuvenated, had already attained the Dao and ascended, leaving the mortal world. His mutual nemesis, the Demon Cult's Lu Tai, had also vanished without a trace.

Thus, if one wanted to ask about the Dao and determine the level of Dao power and magical techniques of the mountain immortals, unless they sought out Gao Jun of Lake Mountain Sect to compete.

Since Cao Ni also styled himself a swordsman and wanted to know what a land-bound sword immortal truly was, with this discussion happening now, there was no one better to ask than this Sword Immortal Chen, who had once killed Ding Ying with his own hands. It was indeed perfectly logical.

Cheng Yuanshan even suspected that if Chen Ping'an hadn't shown up, within a few years, Cao Ni would have made a trip to Lake Mountain Sect.

In a century of Jianghu, it roughly belonged to three different generations of martial artists. Legendary hundred-year-old Reverence Tower master Zhou Shuzhen, who was younger than Zhong Qiu and about the same age as Tang Tieyi, Cao Ni, and the rising star River God's Son, all had issues with Sword Immortal Chen.

Didn't that mean that for the "mountain base" of a world that had changed hands, the Jianghu of martial artists had absolutely no possibility of cooperation with Fallen Mountain?

Add to that Sword Immortal Chen's confrontational attitude and refusal to yield, making today's atmosphere, even before the discussions began, suffocatingly tense.

For a moment, within the Great Wood Temple, clouds and mist swirled strangely, undercurrents ran deep.

The green-robed, gold-armored Eastern Peak Mountain Lord, Zhao Juran, exuded authority without anger. "The discussions have already begun. Today's agenda was set long ago. Jiang Quan's desire for revenge can wait until after the discussions."

The Central Peak Mountain Lord, Zheng Fengzhou, nodded. "There must be rules, after all."

Zhou Shuzhen feigned surprise. "Has the discussion only just started? How is today's agenda already set? Could it be a pre-arranged agreement among the five mountain lords behind closed doors?"

Wu Que sneered. The white-haired old man sat with both hands resting on his horizontal blade. "I wonder what us Jianghu roughnecks are even doing here. Just making up the numbers?"

The Northern Peak Mountain Lord, in a crane-feather cloak and holding a horsetail whisk, Jade Slip Adept, swapped hands to hold the whisk. The air was filled with shimmering colors, and the whisk's trajectory lingered long after. He smiled faintly. "What's the rush? If not for River God's Son causing trouble and butting in, Master Gao would have already been reading the agenda by now. We can't let Mountain Lord Chen misunderstand that this place is full of rude and reckless fools."

This bunch of lower-realm ruffians who knew a few Jianghu tricks and dared to defy the law with martial prowess were truly vulgar, only knowing how to shout and fight. How utterly disgraceful.

The Western Peak Mountain Lord, dressed as a young scholar, squinted and smiled. "Jade Slip Adept, saying that isn't appropriate either. It might easily make our own people misunderstand that the Western Peak has turned its back on us and pledged allegiance to Mountain Lord Chen. That would be disheartening."

Jade Slip Adept snorted coldly. You, Song Hualbao, sure know how to play the diplomat. I'll just wait and see whether the Western Peak will still have this lofty demeanor when Fallen Mountain's "army" arrives and our own world starts to hurt.

Song Hualbao, after sitting down today, had had his attention fixed on beautiful women like Pei Xiang and Sun Wanyan. What a stroke of good fortune; this trip was not in vain.

Back when he first saw Gao Jun, he felt his heart belonged to her. He considered her the dao companion of his choice. But on this trip to Autumn Qi Lake, he had a few too many potential dao companions in mind.

But a true man, how could he be fickle and abandon the old for the new!

Song Hualbao just had one regret: that Sui Youbian, rumored to have turned to cultivating the sword immortal path at Fallen Mountain, had not participated in this discussion.

Pei Xiang, the ruler of the Fox Kingdom, had a face ashen with anger. She was furious. She gripped the armrest of her chair, staring fixedly at the former master of the Reverence Tower across the way.

This crone Zhou Shuzhen had turned traitor without warning, choosing to be a rebellious minister. Pei Xiang felt as if she had swallowed a fly. It was extremely uncomfortable and frustrating.

The Fox Kingdom had always had a good relationship with the Reverence Tower, which controlled all kinds of intelligence and landscape secrets in the world. The booklet given to Mountain Lord Chen last night was the result of their mutual exchange and joint compilation. So one could imagine how terrible Pei Xiang's mood was at this moment. Besides, Pei Xiang felt a bit guilty. Years ago, when the Fox Kingdom had actively contacted the Reverence Tower, her most trusted personal disciple, Luo Fumei, had privately reminded her a few times. For example, it was best to keep dealings with the Reverence Tower clean and clear. The Fox Kingdom would pay with Snowflower Coins for intelligence, negotiate the price, and settle each transaction. Don't get too deeply involved. Don't think about using the Reverence Tower to make things easier once the Fox Kingdom's seal was lifted. Even less so, think about absorbing the Reverence Tower into the Fox Kingdom and making it a "descendant mountain" of the Fox Kingdom. In particular, it was necessary to strictly forbid any contact between the Cavern Realm cultivators and Dao protectors who left the Fox Kingdom for training and the Reverence Tower...

It couldn't be said that Pei Xiang had completely ignored Luo Fumei's advice. In the ancestral hall meeting with the plaque "Green Hill Hall", Pei Xiang had mentioned a few things. She had said a few meaningless platitudes, but she had watered down Luo Fumei's suggestions. According to Pei Xiang's "decree," when doing intelligence trade with the Reverence Tower, our Fox Kingdom needs to be fair in pricing. You must not rely on your cultivation realm to disrespect the other party. Pay attention to the content and tone of your speech. Cultivators on outings should try not to have overly close contact with Reverence Tower members. Do not leak information related to the Fox Kingdom, especially news from the outer world, the Grand Bright World.

As for her determination to turn the Reverence Tower into a vassal mountain of the Fox Kingdom, Pei Xiang did have selfish motives. She always felt that after becoming a respected elder at the Purple Dew Peak Ancestral Hall, she hadn't made any contribution. Her conscience bothered her. She thought that if she could add this credit to the merit book, it would be like helping Fallen Mountain break ground in the blessed land first, allowing her to secure her position as the ruler of the Fox Kingdom for a long time.

Pei Xiang wasn't stupid.

She had also thought that those seductive fox spirits with strong old habits, once outside the Fox Kingdom, would only feel that the sky was high and the earth was vast, with no restraints. Their words and actions would be unfettered, which might cause resentment among the local Reverence Tower cultivators and Qi refiners. But after weighing the pros and cons, the Fox Kingdom ruler never expected Zhou Shuzhen to be so fiery in character, and the entire Reverence Tower to be so stubbornly self-willed.

In truth, if one really wanted to assign blame for the Reverence Tower's "defection," the Fox Kingdom cultivators, accustomed to seductive glances and unrestrained speech, were only half responsible. The other half had to fall on the head of the Demon Cult leader, Lu Tai. When Lu Tai had visited the Reverence Tower's top-floor library with a few disciples years ago, he was cynical, unfathomable, and erratic. Especially his gaze—seemingly full of brilliant smiles but actually ice-cold—looking at everything in the world as if they were ants in a pit or puppets on strings... that had really given Zhou Shuzhen quite a bit of psychological trauma.

But in a sense, stretching the timeline, a Fox Kingdom plus a Lu Tai would still only account for a small portion of the responsibility.

One had to know that the Reverence Tower's library had a dedicated floor, filled with books and records detailing the magnificent achievements of all the "banished immortals" from outside in history.

Therefore, the remaining large portion actually came from all the banished immortals who had ever visited Lotus Flower Blessed Land. The wandering knight Feng Qingbai, chopped in half by Tang Tieyi's blade. The Spring Tide Palace's Zhou Fei, who gathered a flock of women and kept beauties of the world hidden away like caged canaries. The Bird Gazing Peak's Lu Fang. And earlier, the person who was killed by his two close friends, Yu Zhenyi and Zhong Qiu, leaving behind a sword left by an immortal. Within the past hundred years, it was like this. A hundred years ago, a thousand years ago, it was still the same. All the banished immortals who regarded a blessed land as a place for sightseeing and tempering their Dao heart had left behind their traces—either notorious or bizarre—in this world. An unprovoked war and fire, an arrogant powerful minister meddling in politics, a protector of the realm who was both a military genius and could summon wind and rain, a woman of rustic origin who brought calamity to the country and seized the throne... countless divine beings, immortal traces, and Jianghu legends...

Zhong Qian let out a soft sigh. In truth, his mood was not light.

This home world facing that Fallen Mountain was like a child with thin arms and legs facing a strong, healthy adult.

But the former was lucky to have met the latter, who liked to reason.

Zhong Qian had been to the outside, and had stayed in the mountains for so long. This Golden Body Realm martial artist, who seemed to say "let me lie down and enjoy the blessings, please don't help me up," had been listening, watching, and thinking all along.

Perhaps it was because the old cook saw that he was sensible and not hopelessly stupid. One time, while enjoying the cool air and admiring the moon in the courtyard, the old cook had Zhong Qian think about a question: How had his hometown changed so much?

Zhong Qian only shook his head, saying he didn't know, and asked the old cook to explain. Zhu Lian smiled and said that there was spiritual energy circulating between heaven and earth, which gave rise to Qi refiners and landscape spirits. Martial fortune appeared in the mortal world, so the Jianghu had more martial arts grandmasters. These gifts were all given by Fallen Mountain. It couldn't be said to be entirely selfless; it was like being a charitable boy. But if they really wanted to collect a debt, it would at most be a transaction of "give ten, take one, and still need to give more." And this "take one" was mostly ownerless heavenly treasures and some Dao cultivation seedlings who willingly left the blessed land to seek the Great Dao. These were called "immortal seedlings" and "earthly materials."

At the temple gate, River God's Son maintained the strange posture of holding his blade half-drawn but not unsheathed.

Everyone invited to participate in the Great Wood Temple discussions was a shrewd and experienced old hand in the Jianghu. One by one, they finally guessed the truth.

Gritting his teeth, River God's Son said, "Sword Immortal Chen, won't you even let me draw my blade?"

Chen Ping'an smiled back. "Poorly trained in skills, inferior in technique, and you think you're in the right?"

Cao Ni said in a deep voice, "Sword Immortal Chen, why must you humiliate someone to this extent?!"

"I didn't make you stand up, nor did I make you sit back down. You surprised me first, so I give you a little surprise in return. That's called courtesy demands reciprocity. It's not an insult."

Chen Ping'an didn't turn his head. He simply stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Jiang Quan by the door. "Of course, if you consider that an insult, I can't stop you. As long as you're willing to change your tune and let Cao Ni join the brawl later, I'll change my mind too and let you sit down immediately."

If not for this revenge-seeking Jiang Quan coming to the door, and Zhou Shuzhen's willingness to sacrifice herself just to gain a little advantage for her home world by striking first...

Chen Ping'an had already prepared a speech. If he wanted to make things clear, he had to first resolve the historical issues. After all, if you wanted to explain "one" truth, it was much more than just "this" truth.

Lotus Flower Blessed Land had a deep-seated hatred and loathing for those banished immortals from history who had come here for mortal trials or to play with the world, wantonly disrupting the order of the world.

The predecessors plant trees, and the descendants enjoy the shade. By the same token, if the predecessors left a mess, the descendants had to help clean it up, unless they didn't take over.

Chen Ping'an was also willing to let Gao Jun and the others give him a show of force. For example, opening the session by adopting a posture of calling to account, raking up old scores, and directly linking all the banished immortals who had been bastards to his own Fallen Mountain. That was fine. Negotiating prices and trading, there was nothing shameful about it. Asking for a high price and bargaining back down from the ground were all reasonable.

He also understood Zhou Shuzhen and the Reverence Tower's unwillingness, their unwillingness to have every sentient being in this world have a definite price tag on them like... goods!

But they had to sit down and talk properly, discuss everything together. If one thing could be agreed upon, quickly finalize it. If not, temporarily shelve it. That was what a discussion was supposed to be.

Otherwise, why would he come to the Great Wood Temple alone? Let Zhu Lian and Chief Zhou sit, then let Xiao Mo or Xie Gou sit, and then they could make as much trouble as they wanted.

Find a few shills in advance, like Wei Liang, the former emperor of the Southern Garden Kingdom, or someone. If the discussion couldn't continue because of a disagreement, start a fight. That wouldn't be fishing; it would be catching them all in one net.

Lock up all four country emperors. Imprison pure martial artists for ten to twenty years, Qi refiners and landscape spirits for a hundred or several hundred years.

Missing just you thirty-odd people, would the Lotus Pond Blessed Land still be a blessed land? Would the mortal world still be the mortal world?

Song Huaibao had already taken off his boots and sat cross-legged. Among the five mountain lords, he was the least proper.

This Western Peak Mountain Lord, who last night had said, "If the ruler is not discreet, he loses the state; if matters are not discreet, they lose one's life," had today transformed back into a lazy, foppish dandy.

Unlike the others, who were frantically scheming and assessing the situation, Song Huaibao, equally not idle, was looking here and there, feasting his eyes.

The women attending today's discussion, except for the old woman mountain god Wang Ji from the northern border region, were all beautiful. Their looks were exquisite, their figures either slender or voluptuous, each with their own charm.

His Western Peak territory overlapped with quite a bit of the Southern Garden Kingdom's landscape, but Wei and the dragon-robed girl had once secretly climbed the mountain and were refused entry.

But Song Huaibao, after gathering a bunch of ghostly yin spirits, had secretly entered the capitals and prefectural towns of the Southern Garden and Song Lai kingdoms several times to investigate the current customs and conditions.

In fact, even those qualified to participate in the Great Wood Temple discussion were seeing these five mountain lords, whose cultivation realms and divine duties were all mysteries, for the first time.

It was not just a matter of going to burn incense at the main hall of a Five Peaks temple and bringing back a hand-drawn portrait with a "golden body divine image."

Last time Gao Jun returned to the blessed land, she pointed out a path of the Great Dao for each of the five mountain lords, explaining in detail the many mysteries of how to receive incense offerings from the people and how to temper the golden body.

She took the lead in dividing and demarcating the borders of the Five Peaks' territories, using certain mountains and rivers as boundaries. Then, based on a few Confucian ritual texts from the Grand Bright World that she had copied by hand, she explained the cycle of the Five Virtues, explained why the Five Peaks were called "peaks" and not "mountains," said that the sovereign of a small nation in the nine continents could enfeoff their own Five Peaks as "princes," and great dynasties could enfeoff them as "emperors." Only the Central Earth Temple was allowed to enfeoff the Five Peaks as "divine lords." Gao Jun also helped the five mountain lords clarify and fix the rituals and locations of the Five Peaks' sacrifices... Most of it Gao Jun copied directly from ancient texts; a minority she adapted.

That was why the five mountain lords were so grateful to Gao Jun and the Lake Mountain Sect.

Gao Jun was the one who truly was willing and able to plan for the great cause of this world's eternal prosperity.

Huai Fu, with the appearance of a child, had the strangest looks and outfit: hemp clothes, straw sandals, and wormwood stuck in her waistband.

As the Southern Peak Mountain Lord, she was so small that when she sat, her feet didn't touch the ground. Her seat was the southernmost among the five mountain lord colleagues, so it was next to the Great Wood Temple's Palace Flower.

Beside the Palace Flower, Sun Wanyan, who was at the bottleneck of the Viewing Sea Realm, curled the back of her hand, raised two fingers, and whistled softly, teasing the gentle little bird that fluttered lightly but didn't take flight and soar.

This female Qi refiner, who had only recently founded a sect and announced it to the world, was quite relaxed. She kept herself aloof; let them argue all they wanted. If a fight really started, she would just stay far away.

Wang Ji, the mountain god lady of Axe Rectification Mountain, whose temple was located at the border between two countries, remained hunched even when sitting. Her eyes darted around uncertainly, giving the first impression of being timid and afraid of trouble.

Cheng Yuanshan had just been sincerely admiring Cao Ni's courage and insight, but now he started to pity Cao Ni, who couldn't even sit down. He thought to himself, Sure enough, my own experience is best; I won't suffer. I'll never be the first bird to get shot.

Otherwise, you might make bold speeches and harsh words, but what was the result? How awkward was it now?

Zhou Shuzhen felt powerless. She quietly tried to see if she could sit back down. It seemed that Sword Immortal Chen hadn't stopped her from doing so.

Gao Jun, sitting in the main seat, attempted to speak several times but held back. She was afraid that if she failed to mediate, she would only add fuel to the fire.

Originally, regarding today's discussion and how to begin, she had rehearsed it over and over in her mind, drafting it out, weighing every word. This careful attention to wording was even more meticulous and cautious than her cultivation of Qi.

Gao Jun knew very well that no matter what Zhou Shuzhen of the Reverence Tower or the martial artist Cao Ni said or did, given her understanding of Chen Ping'an, it wouldn't come to a complete fallout. But if she misspoke, it would be very difficult to salvage. It might even mean the discussion was over before it began, with no more talking.

Nearby, on Snail Eyebrow Island, the Great Wood Temple had specially given the Fox Kingdom a private residence called Ancient Moon Pavilion. As soon as Pei Xiang left, only Chang Ming, Xie Gou, and Guo Zhujiu—these three "Fox Kingdom registry cultivators"—remained.

The mink-capped girl sat on the railing of the viewing platform, watching the ghostly creature, which dared not show its true face, climb the island, walk up the steps, and with quite a formidable killing intent.

Xie Gou smiled and said, "Ancient Moon Pavilion—Old Moon Hu—the homophonic 'fox.' This lake master Palace Flower sure has an imagination. Isn't this equivalent to Autumn Qi Lake openly cursing the Fox Kingdom as a den of reeking foxes?"

Chang Ming smiled faintly. "Probably the Palace Flower figured that since Pei Xiang called her mountain 'Fox Kingdom,' she wouldn't mind this. Besides, the outside world knows little about the Fox Kingdom."

Guo Zhujiu suddenly spoke: "From the Fox Kingdom ruler Pei Xiang to her disciples Luo Fumei and Qiu Qing, and then extrapolating to the entire Fox Kingdom's style and habits—the deeper they hide from the master, the better their disguise, the more frightened they are, afraid to say a wrong word—then the greater the backlash they will have within the Fox Kingdom and outside of it."

Xie Gou had intended to flatter her own alliance leader, but thinking of the poor fate of the white-haired boy, who still didn't know he had been removed from the "private registry," the mink-capped girl chose to shut her mouth. She really didn't want their own mountain to end up with only Alliance Leader Guo alone, with a general in the tent but no soldiers running errands.

Chang Ming nodded. "That's the reasoning."

Guo Zhujiu turned to look at this Fallen Mountain law keeper. The girl's face showed confusion.

Chang Ming raised one hand, spread five fingers, and shook them gently, explaining with a smile, "The mountain lord gave a reminder. I just followed it."

Guo Zhujiu nodded. "It's my master's consistent style."

In short, it was to give the Fox Kingdom a certain amount of freedom to act as they pleased. The reason was simple: let the Fox Kingdom still be the Fox Kingdom.

But one day, the path under the feet of the Fox Kingdom cultivators would be upward, not a downhill path where the human heart is not what it used to be and things go from bad to worse.

However, some truths, no matter how many times well-meaning outsiders repeat them earnestly, either the listener doesn't take them to heart or doesn't believe them and pretends to be deaf. None of it is as effective as having a problem on hand and correcting the error then and there.

Xie Gou pretended to have a sudden realization. "Our mountain lord truly has keen eyesight and far-reaching plans. With such high strategic Dao strength, it would be unreasonable for him not to be a vice-president of the Central Earth Temple. Next time I go to Old Man Yu's Peach Talisman Mountain's Fill Gold Peak, I'll definitely make a detour to the Central Earth Temple. Even if I can't see the Supreme Sage and Little Master, I'll still talk to Wen Sheng's old man and the scripture artist Xi Ping. I'll put this matter on the agenda. It's not like we're asking for a regular vice-president; just adding one more vice-president. Alliance Leader Guo, is what I said appropriate enough? Will it be held against me?"

Guo Zhujiu said, "Stop causing trouble. The trip to Central Earth is official business. You just take those gold essence copper coins to Peach Talisman Mountain and finish that, then go back to Fallen Mountain. The master said that whether it's a big mountain sect or a government office, the most feared thing is when middle-level registry cultivators or officials create trouble out of nothing, deliberately curry favor, or twist the original intentions of the higher-ups for the benefit of their own faction or office, or simply cut through things simplistically to avoid mistakes, causing branches to grow wildly and straying far from the original intention. The end result is a mess: the higher-ups are kept in the dark, the lower-level people complain bitterly, and the bystanders who don't care fan the flames and say a lot of cynical things. The discerning people have every reason to be indignant."

Chang Ming increasingly liked Guo Zhujiu, who hadn't been at Fallen Mountain long.

In her heart, she even had a bold thought: for the second generation of Fallen Mountain law keeper, perhaps?

As for how to be a good mountain law keeper, Chang Ming initially had no confidence. Fortunately, everyone at Fallen Mountain had an unspoken understanding: when in doubt, ask the cook.

Zhu Lian's brilliant strategy was just one sentence: the principle was simple and easy to follow, and it gave Chang Ming a sudden enlightenment. She immediately had a direction.

"Usually, be easy to talk to, be friendly to everyone. When trouble really comes, the person who is hardest to talk to is the law-keeping patriarch."

So Chang Ming deliberately asked, "Guo Zhujiu, why do you have this pessimistic view about the Fox Kingdom?"

Guo Zhujiu said offhandedly, "I'm not pessimistic about the Fox Kingdom or Pei Xiang. I'm not optimistic... about human hearts. I'm not optimistic about that deep-rooted harmful atmosphere and custom in the Fox Kingdom."

Probably influenced greatly by the master back in the Summer Resort Palace, for example, arguing without examples was like talking nonsense. Guo Zhujiu thought for a moment and gave Chang Ming an example.

Back in the Summer Resort Palace, one time when they were all taking a rare break, the master, who was invincible in the game of Go, had only played a few dozen moves before Xuan Shen, Cao Gun, and other high-ranking generals determined that Lin Junbi, who had defected to the side of Chou Miao, had definitely lost. As for Gu Jianlong and Wang Xinshui, who were good at assessing the situation and choosing the right master, they started clamoring for the next game, telling Lin Junbi to have some shame and not waste the esteemed Hidden Official's precious time...

While gathering the Go pieces, the master posed a small question: "Suppose there are three people, A, B, and C, from highest to lowest, with strict hierarchy. As B, would you prefer A to treat you with an 'equal view,' with the price being that B must also treat C with an 'equal view,' or would you prefer A to maintain authority over you, unpredictable, and then let B do whatever they want with C, with A not intervening?"

Lin Junbi was the first to give an answer: "Of course the latter, because that's human nature."

Applied here, Fallen Mountain is A, the Fox Kingdom is B, and this blessed land world is C.

Guo Zhujiu said calmly, "My master treats the Fox Kingdom with an equal view, with courtesy. Now, if the Fox Kingdom does something wrong here or there, they'll have to pay the debt in the future."

Xie Gou rubbed her mink cap and exclaimed, "Well done! A combination of grace and authority, both enlightenment and discipline. The true kingly way!"

Guo Zhujiu leaned on the railing, too lazy to look at the commotion inside the Great Wood Temple. She gazed into the distance, her eyes hiding delicate thoughts. Her voice was soft as she advised, "Flattery is not your strong suit. That's Kong Hou's specialty. That's called everyone has their own destiny. You just focus on practicing your sword. A sure fourteen-realm sword cultivator for the taking—how many people in ten thousand years have dared to say 'definitely'?"

Xie Gou stretched her neck to look toward the temple, while listening to Alliance Leader Guo's instruction, nodding and saying hmm, hmm, hmm.

Chang Ming continued to ask, "Do you think Wei Liang and his dao companion 'Unhooking the Horn' voluntarily approached the mountain lord before the discussion. Was it just a matter of courtesy?"

Guo Zhujiu chuckled. "Courtesy is courtesy, and trouble is trouble. Both were intentional on Wei Liang's part. After all, he was an emperor once. He's crafty and calculating. He figured out my master's character and the temper of that lake dragon. The master, being easy to talk to, went along with it. Half of it was to help Wei Liang teach that lake dragon a lesson, to stop her from being too arrogant and thinking she's all that. The other half was accepting Wei Liang's request to stay out of it if things went south, because Wei Liang definitely calculated that they wouldn't get any good out of this discussion."

Chang Ming smiled. "How do you know they're doomed to get nothing good? Our mountain lord came for a proper discussion with give and take."

Guo Zhujiu said, "Wei Liang knows my master's character, and he also knows the character of the people on his own side."

Chang Ming asked, "Then do you think the mountain lord will... make a move?"

Guo Zhujiu grinned. "That's a boring question. The master already gave the answer. What is the definition of the ultimate villain?!"

Xie Gou whispered, "Guo Zhujiu, are all the sword cultivators who came out of the Summer Resort Palace like you?"

"You won't be able to enter the Summer Resort Palace."

Guo Zhujiu patted Xie Gou's arm, resting her pointed chin on the railing. "But you don't need to waste time in the Summer Resort Palace either. If you were a native sword cultivator from my hometown, I guarantee that whether as Bai Jing or Xie Gou, you would be very popular, even more so than that long-legged Lu Zhi. Not just because your swordsmanship is high, enough to be one of the top ten sword immortals on the city wall, but because your personality is very likable. You're the most approved type among us: fearless, a pure sword cultivator. Maybe on my hometown's city wall, a female sword immortal could leave her inscription up there."

Xie Gou crossed her arms and laughed. "Too bad, though."

Based on Guo Zhujiu's words, if the Sword Forging City Wall were still standing today and the sword cultivators were all still there, she might have just flown her sword there and become a foreign sword cultivator guarding the wall.

She must leave an inscription. She must and certainly could kill two of those wild desolate Ascension Realm great demons. Not writing Bai Jing, but Xiao Mo! Hahaha, could there be a better love letter in the world than that?

By the shore of Autumn Qi Lake, the blade-wielding traveler Wujiang, the old-timer Yuan Huang who was still fishing leisurely, and the mountain god lady of Overlapping Leaves Mountain's Beggar Flower Field, Yuan Jia Cao, with the Taoist name Green Waist.

Compared to the group of Jianghu martial artists who came later, they were considered "old acquaintances."

Yuan Huang asked, "Zhong Qian went to the Great Wood Temple. Why didn't you go?"

Wujiang said impatiently, "Zhong Qian's status is just there. I'm not on Lake Mountain Sect Master Gao's invitation list. If I go, I'll be stopped outside the temple gate. Word getting out wouldn't sound good."

Someone asked curiously who this man, who had suddenly changed his attire, really was.

Wujiang tapped his scabbard. "He's the Sword Immortal Chen who personally killed the demon Ding Ying back then."

The crowd was immediately astonished, their eyes shining. They exclaimed in amazement, "It's him?!" "We were blind not to recognize him." "They say the street fight in the Southern Garden capital, from start to finish with the city wall battle, can match Zhu Lian's killing of nine people alone a hundred years ago. If we had known this was the famous Sword Immortal Chen making a comeback in the Jianghu, we should have talked to him more just now. A missed opportunity, truly a missed opportunity."

Wujiang pointed a finger at two of the Jianghu experts and laughed gloatingly, "Every single one of you was focused on Zhong Qian, the number one grandmaster. Your eyes didn't even register this Sword Immortal Chen. Earlier, when everyone was chatting, you didn't give him a chance to speak. Sword Immortal Chen tried to join in twice, but you all played deaf and dumb, busy yourselves sucking up to Zhong Qian. I gave you two a wink, kindly hinting that at least since Sword Immortal Chen took the initiative to ask, you should give him a little face and chat a bit. Even if you don't bother to exchange names and get acquainted, at least it's a bit of goodwill for future meetings. Now, he's revealed his identity and flown his sword to the Great Wood Temple. Feeling foolish, aren't you?"

One of them, feeling uneasy, asked cautiously, "Wujiang, you're familiar with Sword Immortal Chen. He won't hold a grudge, will he?"

Just now, that unremarkable Sword Immortal Chen had indeed asked a question. He had heard it, but deliberately ignored it. At that time, he glanced sidelong and saw that the other party didn't say anything, so he naturally looked down on him even more.

Wujiang's expression remained normal, and he laughed. "No way, absolutely not. What kind of person is Sword Immortal Chen? He has a very generous heart. I happened to meet this Sword Immortal Chen, who was traveling incognito, one snowy night on the road in a roadside tavern. There was only one last jar of fine wine left. We were both wine lovers, so a small misunderstanding arose. It was a case of 'fight first, then be friends.' You all know my hot temper. In a flash, I closed in on him, my figure moving like a wisp of green smoke. In an instant, I was at Sword Immortal Chen's side. Of course, fighting for wine is a refined matter. At that time, my blade wasn't drawn. I rested it on his shoulder and patted it a few times. Sword Immortal Chen didn't get angry. He just put two fingers together, gently moved the scabbard aside, and willingly gave up the last jar of wine. Instead, he praised my blade technique, saying my future martial arts achievements would be very high. We hit it off right away, bought the wine, and drank together at the same table. Outside, the snow was heavy; inside, we warmed the wine and talked about heroes..."

The crowd sighed with emotion, extremely envious. "A beautiful story, indeed a beautiful Jianghu tale." "Young hero Wujiang is truly bold and skilled, and Sword Immortal Chen has the bearing of an immortal. On a snowy day, to sit opposite such a sword immortal and share a jar of wine—just imagining the scene makes one yearn for it." "They say mountain immortals can foresee the future. Their words always come true, never miss. It seems Young Hero Wujiang's place among the Four Grandmasters is secure!" "I never expected a sword immortal, like one stepping out of an ancient book, to be so approachable."

Yuan Huang and the mountain god lady of Overlapping Leaves Mountain's Beggar Flower Field knew the inside story. They exchanged a smile and didn't expose Wujiang's "that year," which was actually today.

Yuan Jia Cao thought it was a pity that this Wujiang, who could spin a tale out of thin air, didn't set up a stall at the Heavenly Bridge as a storyteller.

Another Jianghu expert, besides feeling relieved, muttered, "I really couldn't tell he was a legendary land-bound sword immortal just now."

Wujiang sneered. "You're an interesting one. You lack perception yourself, and yet you blame others for not having the demeanor of a sword immortal?"

Yuan Huang put down his fishing rod and stood up. "It's too far away. Can't see anything. Wujiang, do you dare to come with me to sneak a peek at nearby Magnolia Hairpin Island?"

Wujiang's eyes lit up. He immediately grabbed his scabbard and stood up.

Yuan Jia Cao was also eager, looking quite interested. Yuan Huang laughed. "Mountain God Lady, you'd better not come. With your mountain temple sanctuary, it's not good to break prohibitions. If you offend Qi refiners, you'll have no place to hide. We wandering Jianghu roughnecks can afford to be carefree."

Wujiang gave a thumbs-up. "Yuan Huang, you're a friend I'll definitely keep!"

He could tell that Yuan Huang was the kind of person who could eat and drink well anywhere. He was adaptable, unlike himself, with too much backbone and a rigid way of doing things, broke as a joke, and after all his drifting, he'd only managed a shabby existence.

Yuan Huang smiled. "Well said. The Jianghu road is long, and mountains and rivers stretch far. In the end, time reveals a person's heart. Whether we're friends is kept in the heart. No need to cut off a chicken's head and burn yellow paper."

Wujiang said, "Of course, of course. Later, I'll ask Sword Immortal Chen for a few more jars of immortal wine. This is really not me bragging without a draft."

Yuan Huang smiled and nodded, looking ahead. "Remember to ask Sword Immortal Chen for a few more jars. I have a good capacity. Either I don't drink, or when I do, I must get drunk. Willows sway, spring is thick, wine is mellow. When I chance upon one or two like-minded souls, how can I not get dead drunk!"

Wujiang rubbed his chin. "You stole my line."

Yuan Huang tapped his toes, and his figure shot forward like a bird skimming the water. He laughed loudly. "You're bragging again. You don't even know how to write 'yo' in 'chun nong jiu yan,' do you? Mountain God Lady, remember to watch my creel!"

Wujiang hugged his scabbard and chuckled, following Yuan Huang straight toward Magnolia Hairpin Island.

Yuan Jia Cao sat where she was and agreed with a smile, telling Yuan Huang to rest assured and be the fence-hopping thief. But if the Great Wood Temple immortals chased him away, he'd better not come back the same way and implicate her.

Although she didn't know what the foreign banished immortal, Sword Immortal Chen, was going to do at the Great Wood Temple this time, it didn't seem like he would just sit down, have a few drinks, and leave.

But deep in this mountain god lady's heart, there was only one thought: she believed that after he had seen young Jianghu people like Yuan Huang and Wujiang, he wouldn't be too disappointed, right?

Anyway, she thought it was a beautiful and interesting thing to have young men like Yuan Huang and Wujiang in the Jianghu.

Wei Liang had gotten nowhere at the lakeside. After that Mountain Lord Chen had gone ahead to the Great Wood Temple, he first saved his fallen dao companion, "Unhooking the Horn," held her as he flew through the wind all the way away from Autumn Qi Lake, and finally stopped on the summit of a green mountain in the Northern Jin Kingdom near Autumn Qi Lake. They descended. On the mountain, there were temples and monasteries at various heights, but there were no Qi refiners, only ordinary mortals. In fact, as soon as he received the invitation, he had secretly traveled here with the dragon-robed girl. They built a thatched hut in a secluded spot on the mountain, where few people came. The mountain wind was fierce, and tigers and leopards often appeared. Wei Liang had repeatedly instructed her not to reveal their whereabouts easily, for fear of having dealings with the two countries' courts too early and ruining some of his plans.

They were dao companions in name, but more like fellow travelers with aligned ambitions and interests. They had agreed that when both of them reached a realm equivalent to that of Lake Mountain Sect's current leader Gao Jun, they would seek out some Daoist room arts for yin-yang complementarity, truly become dao companions, hold a grand feast, and then establish a sect. In fact, at that time, the dragon-robed girl, who had taken the name Hu Jiao, had found it strange and asked Wei Liang, "Did you say 'establish a sect'? Is there a difference from 'found a mountain sect'?"

Wei Liang was silent for a long time before he said that in the outer world of heaven and earth, at the immortal mansions on the mountains, the character 'zong' (clan/sect) was extremely large, and the character 'jiao' (teaching) was the largest. They were not to be mentioned in the same breath as the "Zong" or "Jiao" of Jianghu sects on their side.

A girl asked worriedly, "Father, what's going on?"

Wei Liang smiled. "Nothing. Hu Jiao just suffered a minor injury."

In the thatched hut today, there was also a Qi refiner who was quite old in truth but looked like a young girl, Wei Zhen, Wei Liang's daughter.

As the princess of the Southern Garden Kingdom, Wei Zhen, unlike her brother Wei Yan, who had already ascended the throne as emperor, had the aptitude for Dao cultivation, and quite good aptitude at that. According to Wei Liang's estimate, with the Daoist scriptures and secret texts gathered by the Southern Garden court, it wasn't a pipe dream for Wei Zhen to open a cavern and receive the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the future. If she was a bit luckier, such as gaining the favor of a certain mountain lord and reaching the Dragon Gate Realm, just one step away from forming a golden core, there was a good chance.

Wei Zhen habitually reached out to take Hu Jiao's pulse. She nodded. "Her aura is stable. There's really nothing serious."

But when Wei Zhen used and mobilized more of her own spiritual energy to try and use what a certain secret text called "shamanic healing technique" to examine the dragon-robed girl, in an instant, a severe burning pain came from her fingertips. She shook her arm vigorously, barely dispelling the sting as if she had touched red-hot charcoal. Wei Zhen was worried and asked in a deep voice, "Father, who did she provoke? The aftereffects are serious!"

Wei Liang hesitated for a moment, then said through sound transmission: "Chen Ping'an."

Wei Zhen was stunned for a moment, then covered her mouth and laughed. "That's a relief, a great relief!"

Wei Liang's mood was complicated. He smiled and said, "If there's a chance, I'll bring you along to invite Sword Immortal Chen for a drink and a meal."

His own little schemes certainly couldn't hide from Chen Ping'an, who had been cunning and resourceful since his youth. But the real thing he could use to deal with Mountain Lord Chen was actually someone with a pure heart like Wei Zhen.

Unlike any native Qi refiner, Wei Liang, because he was secretly responsible for the Southern Garden elite cavalry's pathfinding back then, had often drunk and chatted with a sword immortal named Cao Jun. From that lazy, wine-loving young Sword Immortal Cao, he had extracted quite a bit of inside information about the outside world. On the other hand, those Jiang Clan members, said to be from Cloud Cavern Blessed Land, were all tight-lipped, impervious to persuasion, and extremely difficult to communicate with. However, besides Cao Jun, who claimed the same ancestral home as Chen Ping'an but grew up in a place called Southern Bodhisattva Continent, there was also a Ya'er, whom Wei Liang was not unfamiliar with, from the Demon Cult. She had once followed Ding Ying into the Southern Garden capital and was finally taken away by Zhou Fei of Spring Tide Palace, who had ascended the city wall.

In addition, Wei Liang had also seen a legendary native genius: Sui Youbian, resurrected from the dead!

And that Sword Immortal Cao Jun, who occasionally cleaved mountains and opened roads with his sword, always said that back in his hometown, he was a useless waste that even dogs wouldn't bark at.

This was the first time in Wei Liang's life that he had seen someone single-handedly cleave a gaping hole through towering mountains.

And this person, with a completely straight face, kept calling himself a worthless piece of trash that even dogs wouldn't bite on the roadside, not even half a cultivation genius, just common stuff.

Wei Liang carefully placed Hu Jiao gently on the bed in the hut and went out of the house. Under the eaves, a piece of thick deadwood served as a bench. He sat down with Wei Zhen.

Wei Zhen asked softly, "You're not going to the Great Wood Temple discussion?"

Wei Liang smiled bitterly. "Sword Immortal Chen issued a decree: tell Hu Jiao and me to go back where we came from."

Wei Zhen smiled. "It's not bad to stay out of the muddy water. Sword Immortal Chen doesn't hold grudges. It's fine. Next time we drink, we can clear up any misunderstandings."

Wei Liang nodded. Many things in books, so-called "spiritual enlightenment," probably described people like his daughter. Her simple, casual actions seemed to surpass the scheming and cautious planning of clever people like himself, walking on thin ice.

Inside the house, the dragon-robed girl, whose real name was Hu Jiao and dao name was Unhooking the Horn, had long been coiled up in the Southern Garden imperial tombs. When the celestial phenomena changed, this mountain snake creature raised its head to salute the moon. Somehow, it successfully absorbed a considerable amount of dragon aura from the country's imperial tombs. This surprised and angered Wei Liang when he discovered the truth. He had initially wanted to slap it dead. But then, he was restrained by some old market talk he had heard in his youth: a snake entering the house was good luck; it was not appropriate to kill it. Just let it come and go as it pleased. There was no need to invite or send it away... So Wei Liang restrained his murderous intent. Instead, he tossed it a Daoist spiritual book specifically about how monsters and spirits attained the Dao. He picked up a branch as a pen, drew and wrote on the ground, patiently explaining the characters and their meanings. On the mountain, time passed slowly, and they were unaware of the passing seasons in the mortal world beyond. Wei Liang himself unknowingly broke through to the Dragon Gate Realm. But after that, he stagnated at this realm. After several failed attempts at forming a golden core, he became increasingly anxious and irritable. Could it be that his Dao achievements in this life would stop at the Dragon Gate Realm bottleneck, never to form a golden core and achieve Earth Immortal status?!

During that period of burning anxiety and unstable Dao heart, while teaching the "mountain worm" characters, he would occasionally look at this creature, which always liked to coil quietly by his feet. His eyes often turned icy cold, harboring murderous intent. He wondered: Could its appearance, while seizing part of the dragon aura from the imperial tombs, also have stolen the fortune that should have been his?! After much thought, Wei Liang decided on one last closed-door cultivation session. If he still couldn't "become a golden core guest, then a person of my kind," he would have to be ruthless: kill the snake, disperse the dragon aura, and then swallow and refine it into his own fortune!

This last closed-door session still failed to break through and form a golden core. But when Wei Liang next saw the mountain snake, he was astonished. It had already succeeded in transforming and become a naked mountain girl. When she saw Wei Liang, she pointed at some Daoist scripture she had written herself, making incoherent sounds with unclear enunciation. Wei Liang smiled and greeted her with a bow, calling her Dao friend.

Although Wei Liang could dimly sense that the current leader of the Lake Mountain Sect, Gao Jun, had already formed her golden core, when he saw this transformed creature, or rather, her, he no longer had the desire to kill. He simply consoled himself: "Those of us who cultivate the Dao have our fate ordained by heaven."

Later, with the protection of Wei Liang and the Southern Garden court, Hu Jiao revealed her true form as a mountain snake spirit in a place where mountains and waters met. She successfully traveled a great river and finally entered the great lake, transforming into a dragon.

Wei Liang thought it was due to favorable geographical position and human effort, but in reality, it was the Dao of this world deliberately making an exception for her.

It was because Hu Jiao was the first "walking the river" in this world that she had the fortune of having the right time, place, and human support.

Otherwise, in the Grand Bright World, a mountain snake, even if it had absorbed dragon aura, would have its previous fortune and fortune turned into an equal or even greater calamity from heaven and earth during the water-walking process. Without great perseverance and great hardship, success was impossible.

Thus, after her, several water and mountain immortals tried to follow suit, attempting to use water-walking to forge a hornless dragon or dragon body, to dominate rivers and lakes and establish water palaces as their Dao fields.

But without exception, they all went through hardships and failed. Take, for example, a giant python as thick as a pillar. At the end of its grand water-walking, in a storm of thunder and lightning, a steep mountain ridge directly collapsed by the water's edge, like a giant log blocking the river. Not only did it block the way, but the mountain peak also struck the body of the python, which had begun to shed its skin and had faint horns growing on its forehead. It just happened to hit the fatal spot—the seven inches. Hit the snake at its seven inches! The great python, which had caused a flood while water-walking, died on the spot. Its body floated and drifted with the water, then was divided up by Qi refiners hiding nearby.

This made the Daoists on the mountain look up to the sky with awe. The Dao of heaven is truly unpredictable. No wonder the immortal books say that mountain and marsh monsters and spirits must undergo three calamities and seven tribulations to transcend tribulation.

Wei Liang turned his head. Hu Jiao had woken up.

The dragon-robed girl got out of bed and came out of the house. She looked sullen, her brows full of resentment, and of course, still more fear.

Wei Liang said calmly, "It's up to you whether you listen or not. I'll only say one thing: don't entertain any thought of trying to regain face."

Hu Jiao was already in a bad mood, and this made her furious. She screamed, "Wei Liang, you have the character 'liang' (goodness) in your name, but you have no conscience, you old thing! Instead of helping me, you help outsiders?!"

Wei Zhen was used to it. She just covered her ears. Let them argue. After all, this dragon-robed "girl" was her father's future dao companion, her stepmother.

Wei Liang said calmly, "Hu Jiao, I'll observe your mental state for a few more years. If you're still the same, not only will I sever ties with you completely, but you also need to draw a clear line between yourself and the Southern Garden Kingdom. After that, you can go ahead and be a monarch on the lake, wearing a dragon robe, sitting on a dragon throne, appointing chancellors and officials, like a female emperor. Just continue to stir up trouble and act recklessly without consequences. But if you later have a conflict with a country's mountain lord or a passing Qi refiner, or have a Dao contention with someone, don't expect me or the Wei clan's court to help. You know my temper. I mean what I say."

Hu Jiao felt the suppressed anger in Wei Liang's flat tone. Her arrogant demeanor instantly vanished. She sat down beside Wei Liang and said nothing, just leaned her head against his shoulder.

Wei Zhen sighed. No wonder her mother hadn't set foot in the Southern Garden Kingdom for years. It was all too worrying.

Wei Liang gently patted her head and stared off into space.

In his youth, he had been reckless and hot-blooded, thinking that with just his bare fists, he could carve out his own world. Whatever he wanted, power, beautiful women, it would all be his for the taking. Old bastards like Wu Que, what could they ever accomplish? In a few decades, they'd all be dirt. As for the Northern Jin emperor, Tang Tieyi, with at least a hundred thousand elite border troops, not inferior to the Southern Garden elite cavalry at all, but didn't he still suffer a major setback at the Axe Rectification Mountain border temple? Even the emperor, who was both a martial arts grandmaster and a Qi refiner, still had to go alone to the mountain god temple under cover of night, clad in the secret immortal armor he never revealed, and with his blade "Alchemist" at his waist, to meet this mountain god lady whose original name was Wang Boji?

A mountain range held a considerable amount of gold ore. Gold was simple: warhorses, armor, weapons—that was national power.

That was the real reason why even a hegemon like Tang Tieyi had to swallow his pride and endure. When a prefecture's city god in his own territory vanished just like that, so what? If Tang Tieyi's trip to Axe Rectification Mountain had been too late, believe it or not, Tuoba Daze in the north would have personally led troops south, knocking on the Northern Jin border, and then working in concert with the mountain temple's old lady Wang Boji to carve a big piece of fat off the Northern Jin border. Tang Tieyi's rule was originally illegitimate anyway. The remnants of the former royal family and the old dynasty in the Northern Jin kingdom weren't all dead yet. If the border became unstable, to the point where the emperor had to personally lead an expedition, just wait. The Northern Jin capital would be in chaos. With Tang Tieyi's ambitious but incompetent son, could he truly act as regent? On the surface, it wouldn't do without the crown prince acting as regent; in reality, he would only make things worse. By the time Tang Tieyi returned from the campaign, maybe half the officials in the capital court would be dead, all done in by that honored crown prince.

Wei Liang came back to his senses and took a deep breath. Compared with the other three countries, the Southern Garden Kingdom was still in a somewhat better position.

The current Son of Heaven, Wei Yan, who had ascended the throne through abdication, was quite accomplished in both civil and military affairs. The key was that this son of his had excellent patience.

The former national teacher, Zhong Qiu, had left behind a group of court officials, all of them a gathering of civil and military talents. As for whether the Wei clan could ultimately unify the world, it would depend on... the mandate of heaven.

Wei Liang suddenly turned his head toward Wei Zhen.

Wei Zhen had no idea what was happening. But in an instant, her body stiffened. Her heart stirred up huge waves. She slowly turned her head and saw a young Confucian-scholar-robed man with a face like polished jade.

Hu Jiao whispered, "I think there's another one on the roof."

"When matters are hard to speak of, one does nothing but watch; when there is no one to talk to, one simply gazes at the mountains."

The young man in the Confucian robe had his hands tucked into his sleeves, his body leaning slightly forward. He broke the silence first with a smile. "It's really quite something for Dao friend Wei. You've been out of the emperor's seat for years, and still you have to work so hard, toiling day and night, planning for the Wei clan's rule for a thousand years, seeking rice and grain for future generations. To cultivate the Dao like this, your heart in the mountains but your mind outside them, it's only natural you haven't formed a golden core. It has nothing to do with aptitude."

"Oh, let me introduce myself. I'm Gu Can. 'Gu' as in 'look before and after,' 'Can' as in 'beautiful jade glistening.'"

"The one on the roof and I are both from the outside. We just came here from Lake Mountain Sect. We're exactly the kind of banished immortals you all here want to kill no matter what."

The tall man on the roof, with his feet dangling outside, laughed and cursed, "You snot-nosed brat, if you're going to insult yourself, don't drag me into it. I'm a serious scholar full of righteous spirit."

He jumped off the roof, spun in midair, landed with both feet, and stabilized his Qi. He laughed. "Since you set the example, I have to introduce myself too. It's a bit long. I can't explain my identity, background, and realm in less than a hundred words. Listen carefully. Wei Liang, don't take it too seriously. That little girl in the dragon robe... well, forget it. She looks young but is old, and she's already an old maid with someone on her mind. The one sitting next to Gu Can, yes, I'm talking to you, little girl. Listen carefully..."

Gu Can had already interjected, "His name is Liu Xianyang. He's getting married soon. He's a coward whose only strong point is his mouth. He finally snuck out, but he doesn't even dare to go to a brothel for some fun."

Liu Xianyang shouted, "Gu Can, you son of a bitch!"

Gu Can nodded. "Your father is right here. Kowtow a few times, and I'll make up the New Year's money."

Liu Xianyang ignored this little bastard who was undercutting him. Smiling, he looked at Wei Liang. "Take my advice. In your later years, you'll realize that the word 'immortal' misleads people the most. It turns out this body only belongs between two mountains."

Gu Can chuckled. "Adapted from a poem in someone else's book: 'In later years, knowing the three characters misled, for life, this body only belongs between two mountains.'"

Wei Zhen realized something and said, "I've heard of it. Unfortunately, the author is unknown."

Gu Can squinted. Just as he thought!

Liu Xianyang still looked carefree. "What a pity. If only you, miss, had seen that person once and painted a portrait, that would have been even better."

The dragon-robed girl had just been taught a lesson at Autumn Qi Lake, somewhat like "once bitten, twice shy." But hearing these two talk so offhandedly, she felt a bit of her wild nature rising. However, before she could speak, and before Wei Liang could stop her, the young Confucian scholar calling himself Gu Can had already warned, "Say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, and people die."

Liu Xianyang looked at Gu Can, coughed, and tried to smooth things over. "Alright, alright. Why scare a little Viewing Sea Realm girl?"

Damn it. Chen Ping'an wasn't here. If Gu Can got the urge to kill and casually slaughtered that lake dragon, then just turned around and left, not even attending the wedding or being a best man, then wouldn't he, Lord Liu, be in a tough spot?

Gu Can twitched the corner of his mouth. It seemed he had taken the hint.

Liu Xianyang said, "Change of venue. Want to go check out Autumn Qi Lake?"

Gu Can shook his head. "Why go? I'm not going to get scolded."

Even as he said that, Gu Can had already stood up. "Let's go take a look at that Western Peak Mountain Lord's mansion."

Liu Xianyang clapped his fist into his palm. "You should have said so earlier. Let's go."

The two strange figures claiming to be banished immortals from outside came and went in a hurry. Two streaks of rainbow light instantly shot thousands of miles away. Not far from the mountain, the sea of clouds was split open as if by a sky-rending sword.

The green mountain beneath Wei Liang's feet rumbled as if a thunderclap had exploded. All the beasts on the mountain lay prostrate, birds flew high, and the bells and drums in the mountain temples and monasteries shook violently, letting out a prolonged, melodious ring.

Yuan Huang and Wujiang sneaked onto Magnolia Hairpin Island and swaggered to the top of the mountain. They had chosen the right spot. The view was open, and it was close to the Great Wood Temple on the ancestral mountain. At the very least, they could see the upturned eaves and glazed tile roofs of the temple half-hidden in the shade of ancient trees.

But soon, a young female Taoist nun and a young boy acolyte walked swiftly, as if flowing water, to the summit. They made a bow. The girl looked at Wujiang and said in a crisp voice, "Wujiang, our temple dean orders you to leave Magnolia Hairpin Island immediately."

Wujiang was taken aback. He waited and waited, but the little girl had no further explanation. He had to ask, "Chasing me away is fine, but what about Yuan Huang next to me? Why aren't you chasing him down the mountain too?"

Yuan Huang smiled but said nothing.

The girl was also taken aback. She had no choice but to patiently explain to this fool, "Yuan Huang is a honored guest invited by our temple to stay on Magnolia Hairpin Island."

Wujiang wiped his face from top to bottom with his hand, said nothing, and turned to leave. Meeting such a bad friend, he still wanted to share immortal wine? Drink piss, you!

Yuan Huang turned and laughed. "Why are you leaving? According to temple custom, invited guests on the island can bring one or two friends to stay here. Right, you two temple immortals?"

The young boy Taoist was still a bit unhappy, but the girl nodded. "Our temple does have that rule. Master Yuan, is that Young Hero Wujiang really your friend?"

Wujiang, who had already slowed down, heard the words "Master Yuan" and "Young Hero Wujiang." Suddenly, he was walking briskly. He didn't want to stay!

Yuan Huang nodded. "Wujiang is one of my few close friends. If the temple needs to verify his identity or something, I'll just go down the mountain with him."

If he left Magnolia Hairpin Island, they would go straight to the Great Wood Temple.

Wujiang's face instantly lit up. He turned around and strode back, walking beside Yuan Huang. He slapped him heavily on the shoulder. "Good brother! You really shouldn't be wielding a spear. You should learn the sword!"

Yuan Huang was puzzled. "How so?"

Could it be that Sword Immortal Chen had seen his talent for sword practice and had told Wujiang to convey this?

Wujiang burst into laughter. The girl also squinted and smiled. She had obviously understood the implication of Wujiang's words.

Inside the Great Wood Temple, just as the green-robed sword immortal seemed to be "deadlocked" with Jiang Quan and the others, an anomaly occurred. A golden thread, like a swimming dragon, wound through the air and lunged fiercely. This magic treasure, hailed as an Immortal Binding Rope by the mountain dwellers, shot toward the green-robed sword immortal's neck in an instant. If he wasn't careful, Chen Ping'an would have his neck cinched. It was said that Qi refiners or Jianghu martial artists bound by the Immortal Binding Rope would have their spiritual energy dispersed or their true Qi stagnated. As for dark, ghostly creatures that couldn't see the light, they would simply scatter into nothingness.

After making her move and unleashing this rarely-failed precious artifact, a female Qi refiner in the middle of the group sneered and spoke, "I really don't believe it. The so-called land-bound sword immortals in the books can really be this invincible? And is it really like the rumors say..."

But at this point, the female cultivator fell silent. She couldn't utter another word, because she didn't dare to continue.

It turned out that the golden Immortal Binding Rope had indeed successfully circled the neck of the green-robed sword immortal, who hadn't moved an inch. It should have tightened and bound his neck.

But contrary to her hopes, the actual scene was like a snake biting its tail, suspended in the air and spinning, radiant and eye-catching. It was pretty to look at, but it couldn't get any closer to the green-robed man's neck at all. It was as if the Immortal Binding Rope, like a golden snake's body, was running into walls everywhere, hissing and fizzing, wearing away and producing a beautiful spray of golden powder.

"Dao friend, were you about to say next, 'can spit out a sword pellet, a flying sword that takes heads from a thousand miles away, killing without a trace'?"

Chen Ping'an moved his feet slightly and smiled. "The answer is yes."

Just because of this small movement of the green-robed sword immortal, some people thought they had seen the truth. This was a golden opportunity. A Sixth Realm martial artist, extremely confident in his speed, felt that they were all too slow and long-winded. This famous martial elder got up first, rushed forward with a punch, and was already close to the green robe. Then, he laughed. "Surnamed Chen! Take my punch!"

His fist was not light, and his speed was even faster.

Bang.

The old grandmaster's abdomen was struck as if by a heavy hammer. His entire body was suspended in the air, and then someone reached out and slapped his head. With a thud, he immediately fell into the ridiculous pose of kneeling on the ground.

"He's not your ancestor, and it's not New Year's. Get out of the way."

The green robe slowly raised his foot and gently kicked the old grandmaster, whose face was pale, sending him flying toward the temple gate. He slammed into the wall and collapsed, limp.

Chen Ping'an laughed. "A word of advice: next time you ask someone for a fist fight, replace 'Take my punch' with 'Please enlighten me.' Fewer words, but more of a master's demeanor."

The old grandmaster, who felt like his whole body had fallen apart, tried his best to curse. But no one saw how the green-robed man moved. Another bang, and his head slammed into the wall. His eyes rolled back, and he lay on the ground, asleep.

The female Qi refiner saw that her precious treasure couldn't work, so she tried to retrieve the Immortal Binding Rope. Trembling, she said, "Sword Immortal Chen, I have offended you greatly."

Chen Ping'an nodded. With one hand behind his back, he grabbed the Immortal Binding Rope, which was roughly of high-grade spiritual tool quality. He gently wiped it, and the entire splendid golden rope instantly became dim and dull, eventually turning to ashes and scattering on its own.

"Copying you all: make a move first, then speak."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "I'll add: greatly offended."

That female cultivator was as if she had lost her parents, dumbfounded and speechless.

Such a heavy treasure, how painstakingly refined, regarded as her second life, and it was gone just like that?

As he spoke, Chen Ping'an looked at the burly white-haired old man. It seemed he was called Wu Que. He was much older than Zhong Qian and sat at a considerable distance from him.

Wu Que was so angry that his face was crimson, and the temples on both sides of his head bulged and throbbed.

It was because the moment the green-robed man's "weak momentum" moved, both Wu Que and that Jianghu grandmaster had the same intention. But Wu Que had received a heart-mind warning. Otherwise, it would have been him kneeling and kowtowing to his ancestors.

Chen Ping'an laughed. "You've all had your fun. Now it's my turn to start the discussion, right?"

He flicked his sleeve, sending Jiang Quan, who still couldn't draw his blade, flying out of the temple and far into the waters of Autumn Qi Lake.

"I stand and speak while you sit and watch the show. Is this how you treat your guests in this world?"

Chen Ping'an lightly stamped his foot. Everyone in the Great Wood Temple discussion, except Pei Xiang, Gao Jun, Zhong Qian, the five mountain lords, and the unexpected Sun Wanyan, was forced to stand up.

"Look. That's all this world amounts to. Your patience is far too shallow. You couldn't even last three to five hundred years before confronting me."

He stamped slightly harder.

Those who were temporarily seated all stood up.

No matter how you five mountain lords use your innate divine abilities to connect with the island's mountain root, and then try to link with the water fortune of Autumn Qi Lake, so what?

He shook his sleeves, straightened his robe. Only the green robe sat down alone.