Chapter 1119: The Twenty and the Alternates (Part 1)
(Apologies, apologies, the update is late.)
Chen Ping'an still chose to engrave the bottom inscription, "When spirit is concentrated, nothing cannot be achieved," with three thousand characters on the side inscription. I just like to engrave more characters; it's more challenging.
The old temple master seemed to have known this choice long ago and asked casually, "The secluded cultivation is real seclusion, but you split off three strands of mind. Where did they go roaming?"
Chen Ping'an replied, "With the help of the old true man's six talismans, they went to the Rain Dragon Sect, the Qionglin Sect in Northern Juzhou, and the Great River in the middle of Tongye Continent, each seeking something different."
The old temple master laughed. "With a higher realm, you've started settling old scores and collecting debts? Or is it that now your Dao partner has reached the fourteenth realm, Fellow Daoist Chen feels confident and has a stiffer backbone? If so, no wonder you get along so well with Pavilion Lord Liu; you've become birds of a feather."
The paths of the two parties converged from different directions: one relied on their senior brother, the other on their Dao partner.
No, to be precise, one relied solely on their senior brother, so the senior brother's realm was the junior brother's realm. The other relied on both their Dao partner and their senior brother?
If they were so capable, why only one Dao partner? Why not have as many as their senior brother had?
If they truly enjoyed such blessings, it could be considered earning it by ability. Why bother cultivating diligently? They could pick a Dao partner from each world and walk sideways anywhere they went.
Chen Ping'an found it strange. It seemed that ever since the old temple master and the Dao Ancestor visited the small town, the old temple master had been particularly targeting him during his stay at Fallen Mountain?
It didn't make sense. Xiaomi was hosting guests at the foot of the mountain—that was our Right Protector's signature skill, flawless and airtight.
Last time the old temple master visited Piyun Mountain, Wei Shenyou was also extremely experienced in hosting. Those night wandering banquets were hardly for show!
Xiao Mo was still an old friend, and wasn't Xie Gou considered a half-daughter-in-law? So Chen Ping'an was thoroughly puzzled. Where had things gone wrong?
Chen Lingjun, who had met the Dao Ancestor?!
Because Chen Lingjun couldn't speak of anything related to the Three Religions' Founders, Chen Ping'an had overlooked the possibility that the green-robed child might have also met the old temple master.
Even now, Chen Ping'an remembered the scene of that kid meeting Master Ruan for the first time—it was... too painful to look back on. (Note: Chapter 180, "Like a Divine Being")
The old temple master glanced at the items piled on the table: some cubic-inch objects and rule-inch objects. Their slight restrictions didn't hinder his Dharma eye; he could see all the treasures inside at a glance.
The old temple master asked with a smile, "With such refining of objects, you've truly become a 'living treasure' walking on two legs. Fellow Daoist Chen, you're bold with your skills. Do you think my continent won't come knocking, so you're increasing your bet? On this single-plank bridge of object refining, you want to compete with my continent for a foothold?"
Chen Ping'an said, "Object refining is only a supplementary means. There won't be a major Dao struggle with your continent. If she truly wants to rob and kill, I can only defend myself."
The old temple master held a brick in one hand and reached into a rule-inch object to take out an abstinence tablet. He looked up and glanced at the already refined objects within the towering Dharma apparition. In one of its qi palaces, a tree gall pot capable of slowly absorbing wood-attribute spiritual qi had long been refined and placed by Chen Ping'an in the wood residence among the five-element natal objects as an auxiliary item, with a ruler-subject relationship between the two. Seeing this, the old temple master shook his head and laughed. "What luck! You obtained two items at the same time, but you chose a spiritual artifact that isn't even a Dharma treasure in quality. You left this semi-immortal-grade heavy treasure unrefined—picking up sesame seeds and throwing away watermelons? Or do you think your family is so wealthy that you'll never worry about food or clothing, so you're just playing around?"
Chen Ping'an looked at the abstinence tablet in the old Daoist's hand, then quickly lowered his head to continue engraving. His Dao heart was like an ancient well, not a single ripple stirred.
Good things take time; why rush?
As soon as the senior left, he would immediately conduct the grand refining.
Back then, the old true man Huan Yun had helped appraise it and recognized that horn-scale cloud-pattern abstinence tablet as a heart-fasting tablet of the Daoist lineage, but he couldn't see its quality rank as clearly as the old temple master could at a glance.
The old temple master flipped the tablet. The front was engraved with the character "heart," and the reverse bore an anonymous ancient poem: "Misty and obscure by the ditch in the fields, the door and window reflect the sun and moon, refining the soul and spirit."
A semi-immortal-grade item carrying the Dao intent of an immortal artifact could allow cultivators to see their shadow and thus perceive their true heart.
Unfortunately, it had hidden flaws. An ordinary cultivator would treasure it like a jewel and refine it eagerly, but it wasn't suitable for Chen Ping'an, who was now gradually climbing toward the peak. Remembering the black-clad little girl's hospitality, the old temple master didn't want to trick Chen Ping'an, so he added a few more words. "This object is broken and incomplete, its Dao intent flawed. A medium refinement is just right. It's not suitable for a grand refinement as a natal object. Be careful not to let external demons slip in through the cracks and ruin your hard-earned cultivation foundation."
Chen Ping'an nodded and asked, "Is this heart-fasting tablet similar in material to that green brick from the nameless Daoist temple on the mountaintop, mostly the same with minor differences?"
The old temple master weighed the green brick in his hand and said with a smile, "It should be mostly different with minor similarities. As for the subtlety, if you ever meet a like-minded senior from the mountain in the future, just ask and you'll know."
Chen Ping'an didn't press further. He knew when to stop and didn't dare to fleece the old temple master.
As for this treasure, he had obtained it from a martial artist named Huang Shi. It could be considered an acquaintance born from a fight, with a good parting accounting for half. (Note: Chapter 545, "Why Dare Not Speak Out in Anger?")
But after their parting, there was no news of the martial artist Huang Shi in Northern Juzhou. He didn't know if Huang Shi had ever avenged his great grievance.
The old temple master exclaimed in wonder, "Why are you refining so many mirrors? The proportion is quite high. Like women's clothes and hairpins—just for looks?"
Chen Ping'an replied honestly, "As you said, mostly different with minor similarities. When traveling the jianghu, more skills don't weigh you down. Similarly, since I chose object refining as a supplementary path, I refine whatever is at hand and dare not pick and choose."
The old temple master suddenly said, "That Dragon Beard fellow is a good person."
Chen Ping'an nodded. "Dragon Beard Immortal Lord does have an ancient style."
Dragon Beard, whose Dao name was Situ Mengjing, was at the Immortal realm and was now the mountain lord of Little Dragon Qiu on Tongye Continent.
As the superior sect of Little Dragon Qiu on Tongye Continent, Middle Earth's Great Dragon Qiu lacked a flying ascension cultivator to guard its mountain, so it could only be considered a second-rate sect.
If only wealth was considered, Great Dragon Qiu could actually be counted as first-rate.
Qi refiners, whether registered cultivators or wild practitioners, had several essential items when traveling: mountain-search maps, demon-revealing mirrors, barrier-breaking talismans, and so on.
These cheap and good items could truly save lives in critical moments. And when it came to demon-revealing mirrors, one couldn't avoid mentioning Great Dragon Qiu's mirror craftsmanship.
Under heaven, demon-revealing mirrors were mainly divided into six lineages. Two of them were nearly lost due to high refining thresholds and strict requirements for materials and mirror craftsmanship. Of the remaining four, the Celestial Master Residence at Dragon Tiger Mountain and the Flying Immortal Palace each held one, but they only gave them as gifts, never sold them, so there was a price but no market. Additionally, Great Dragon Qiu monopolized one lineage of demon-revealing mirrors. The nine kinds of "water mirrors" they crafted were such that a qi refiner holding one could both ward off water and suppress various water-born spirits. Combined with the "mountain-ruling" rule mirrors jointly controlled by several forces on Golden Armor Continent, the two types of mountain and water mirrors were especially beloved by cultivators who practiced sun-refining and moon-worship.
For a qi refiner traversing mountains and rivers, exploring secrets and visiting immortals, if they could hold a rule mirror in one hand, a Great Dragon Qiu water mirror in the other, a Dragon Tiger Mountain treasure mirror at the waist, a Flying Immortal Palace talisman mirror in their bosom, and two more hidden in their sleeves—wouldn't that be wonderful?!
But is that a matter of whether I want it or not?
The problem is: even if I agree, do the coins in my purse agree?
Take Cui Dongshan, for example. He liked to show off when going out, stuffing his two sleeves with who knows how many treasures.
He had specially equipped himself with a full set of six demon-revealing mirrors.
Chen Ping'an had borrowed some treasures from Cui Dongshan, who was both his proud student and the master of a subordinate sect.
A master and a student, a superior sect and a subordinate sect—borrowing but never returning.
During a break from his "engraving knife," Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Senior, do you know about the 'Twenty' on the mountain?"
The old temple master laughed. "I know, but I won't tell. It's a yellowed page of old history that isn't recorded anymore. Such riddles, like the 'Lu Zhengchun' among the three, are more interesting when you unravel the mystery yourself."
Chen Ping'an's face was expressionless as he rubbed his wrist.
Back on that night boat, when they returned to Haoran World, the executioner Hao Su brought his personal disciple Du Shanyin and his maidservant Jiqing to meet Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao.
Hao Su had lingered in Form City for quite a while. And that young city lord, Shao Baojuan, had appeared even earlier in Entry City and seemed to have been hostile to Chen Ping'an from the start.
Shao Baojuan was, of course, an alias, but that person was indeed a deeply blessed qi refiner with great fortune. In the mural city of the Hemp-Clothing Sect, Chen Ping'an had gained nothing and didn't win any divine maiden attendant. But Shao Baojuan, just by walking through, won the favor of the Inkstone-Hanging Divine Maiden, who was willing to follow and serve him. Later, in the Ghostly Valley, at the summit of Accumulated Clouds Mountain, he casually took away the "Thunder Pool."
In contrast, a certain hardworking pack-peddler, who had discovered this immortal opportunity much earlier and recognized the text on the crooked stone tablet—"Sword Washing Pool of the Pivot Courtyard"—could only manage to dig up a few sections of golden bamboo roots, let alone move that famous Thunder Pool. (Note: Chapter 495, "Good Man Brother")
Before Hao Su got off the boat, he gave Ning Yao a crucial piece of inside information, mentioning the "Twenty."
Although Hao Su didn't elaborate, it was enough as a thread for foreshadowing.
The executioner of the Sword Qi Great Wall and Shao Baojuan of Form City on the night boat—these weren't hints; they were clear signs to Chen Ping'an.
Later, the "invitation" from Immortal Han Yushu further confirmed the truth of this matter.
This was also why Chen Ping'an didn't consider Nan Guangzhao a weak flying ascension cultivator. It wasn't that Nan Guangzhao's flying ascension realm was too fragile, but rather that a flying ascension swordsman was hiding behind the scenes, using information from the other "nineteen" to secretly study and target Nan Guangzhao for years. Hao Su had ultimately designed a series of killing moves specifically for Nan Guangzhao. If that hadn't killed him, Nan Guangzhao wouldn't just be a weak flying ascension cultivator; he would be a strong one like the Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain or the Fire Dragon True Man, or even a candidate for the fourteenth realm.
Tongye Continent, Ten Thousand Yao Sect of Third Mountain Blessed Land, Immortal Han Yushu.
That skin he had handed over to Jiang Shangzhen had now returned to Chen Ping'an's hands.
At the same time, Chen Ping'an had wanted to ask Jiang Shangzhen about an old matter.
But Jiang Shangzhen shook his head with a smile and said that out of respect for the honored one, after all, he was still a registered cultivator of the Jade Gui Sect, so he shouldn't gossip.
So Chen Ping'an didn't ask further.
Earlier, at Quanjiao Mountain on Fuyao Continent, Chen Ping'an had also asked Situ Jiyu some questions.
And the old temple master's seemingly off-topic remark, "Situ Mengjing is a good person," was actually getting to the point.
It was a perfect "severing" of Situ Mengjing from the Greater and Lesser Dragon Qiu.
Chen Ping'an asked while looking down at his engraving, "What exactly does Zouzi want?"
The old temple master thought for a moment, as if considering this a question worth pondering by both the party involved and the observer, and said slowly, "Partial oscillation, overall balance. The latter allows the former; the former submits to the latter. If any link in the chain goes wrong, Zouzi will feel the need to examine and adjust."
Chen Ping'an asked with a hint of resentment, "Does he have OCD?"
The old temple master laughed heartily. "A bit."
Now, across several worlds, was there still a fourteenth-realm "pure" swordsman worthy of the name?
And Tian Wan of Dogwood Peak at Zhengyang Mountain, Zouzi's junior sister, was indiscriminately pairing people up, pulling red threads, and manipulating the sword qi fortune of an entire continent.
Liu Xianyang, Li Tuanjing of Wind Thunder Garden, Wei Jin of Wind Snow Temple—all were to "make wedding clothes" for the swordsman Bai Shang of Northern Juzhou.
On Northern Juzhou, there was also Xu Xuan, who was connected to the Qionglin Sect and its master Lou Miao.
Because Liu Jinglong had warned Chen Ping'an that Xu Xuan was likely the behind-the-scenes operator of the Qionglin Sect, the prosperous Qionglin Sect would be the money bag for Sword Immortal Bai Shang, and his disciple Xu Xuan was the one managing that money bag.
In Northern Juzhou, wherever there was money to be made, there were busy figures from the Qionglin Sect.
Take the Sharpening Stone Mountain, for instance—it was acknowledged as a cornucopia, and the nearby Hundred Springs Mountain was a money tree, with countless residences and Dao fields, perfect for spectating.
Before the two sides stepped onto the ring, they signed a life-and-death contract, then went to Sharpening Stone Mountain. Life and death were by fate.
The Qionglin Sect, both openly and covertly, large and small, had many such cornucopias and money trees.
Additionally, the Qionglin Sect was equally active on Baiai Continent and Baoping Continent. In big business, the reputation of the Liu clan of Luoma River and the Yuan clan of the Third Sage Temple were polar opposites to that of the Qionglin Sect.
Moreover, by repeatedly deducing from the pieces of natal porcelain he had pieced together, Chen Ping'an concluded that there should still be four to six fragments scattered outside.
Those under suspicion were: the Dowager of Great Li, Tian Wan of Zhengyang Mountain, the Ma clan of Apricot Flower Lane, the Yin-Yang Family Lu clan of Middle Earth, Zouzi, and the Qionglin Sect, which had been secretly trading natal porcelain with the Song clan of Great Li for years.
Earlier, he had taken Xiao Mo to the Great Li capital palace. The fragment held by Dowager Nan Zan had now been found by Chen Ping'an, hidden in the neighboring residence of Song Jixin.
Tian Wan had once fallen into the hands of Cui Dongshan and Jiang Shangzhen, so she had "been forced" to clear her suspicion.
And the Middle Earth Lu clan, which had indeed tried to scheme against Chen Ping'an, could also be ruled out in this matter.
Because when Chen Ping'an had visited the Observatory Platform, he had personally asked Lu Shen, who had said outright that they didn't have such an item.
Chen Ping'an wasn't foolish; he pressed the question: Had the Lu clan never possessed it at all? Lu Shen still said no.
The Ma clan of Apricot Flower Lane had become the Ma family of Wusha Street in Yuxuan Kingdom, and Chen Ping'an hadn't been able to find any natal porcelain fragments there either. He had asked them directly, and the Ma couple indeed hadn't hidden any, and Ma Kuxuan had confirmed this.
Finding that Zouzi would be harder than finding Swordsman Pei Min. They could only wait—wait for that swordsman Liu Cai, whose two natal flying swords happened to suppress Chen Ping'an's two flying swords respectively.
So the only remaining possibility left to try was the Qionglin Sect of Northern Juzhou.
Early on, when Chen Ping'an traveled through Northern Juzhou, he had set his sights on this remarkably money-making Qionglin Sect.
Because the Qionglin Sect was the largest buyer of natal porcelain from Li Dong Cave Heaven back then, without any "one of."
One strand of Chen Ping'an's mind rode that "night boat" talisman boat, landed in Northern Juzhou, and headed straight for the Qionglin Sect territory.
Just like the Rain Dragon Sect, there was no need for any verbal answer face to face. "Tian Su of the Nascent Soul realm" avoiding him was itself the answer.
Baoping Continent, the Night Wandering Banquet at Northern Peak Piyun Mountain. Tongye Continent, the profound blessings of the Taiping Mountain female Daoist Huang Ting. Northern Juzhou, the number of times the Qionglin Sect's Ancestral Hall was challenged with sword strokes.
All were very famous.
Wind and rain made the noon sky as dark as deep night.
On the ancestral mountain of the Qionglin Sect, in an seemingly ordinary halfway pavilion, sat a white-haired old man with an elegant appearance. A string of market copper coins hung at his waist. Beside him leaned a bamboo staff against the pavilion pillar—a nine-sectioned purple bamboo staff over one zhang long, with a jade cicada carved into its head.
Two children, who had covered themselves with umbrellas and passed by, came in to rest from the rain when they saw the old man. They were both recently accepted direct disciples of the Ancestral Hall, having entered the mountain to cultivate not long ago. When they saw him, they called him "Ancestral Master." The old man called out their names and told them to sit down and talk. He asked a few questions about their recent cultivation progress. The two top-quality seedlings answered fluently without timidity; they were both fine jades from noble families. Even when questioned by the sect master, they didn't seem too constrained. Besides, Sect Master Lou, Patriarch Lou, was known for his approachability.
Things that the Qionglin Sect cultivators could be proud of, aside from money, were few and far between.
One of the most puzzling things to outsiders was that the incorruptible Fire Dragon True Man of Prostrate Peak had once walked through the money-spinning Hundred Springs Mountain.
There were many speculations about this, but the reason was actually as simple as it could be: on the path up Hundred Springs Mountain, there was a pavilion called Sunning Books.
The Sunning Books Pavilion was located a bit higher up than the halfway Gushing Springs Pavilion.
When the Fire Dragon True Man passed by, he wanted to sit there.
Probably at his age and realm, how others looked at it or thought about it didn't matter much.
Of course, back then, the entire membership of the Qionglin Sect Ancestral Hall had come out in full force, a huge crowd rushing to the Sunning Books Pavilion, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Fire Dragon True Man. Even if they couldn't talk to him, at least they could squeeze into the pavilion, sit shoulder to shoulder, and listen to the old true man and Sect Master Lou casually chat about the historical origins of the Sunning Books Pavilion—it would be nice to soak up some immortal aura. But by the time they got there, the old true man was already gone.
Put up a stele outside the pavilion? Carve something like "Fire Dragon True Man visited on such and such date"?
They had the thought, but not the courage.
But after that, the sect rule that had previously stopped visitors at the Sunning Books Pavilion was changed to stop at the Gushing Springs Pavilion on the White Snake Path.
The Sword Immortal Ji Yue of Ape Cry Mountain had actually smashed the Qionglin Sect's Ancestral Hall once.
Last year, another unannounced sword challenge landed solidly.
Since it truly broke the illusion and dismantled a real Ancestral Hall, the commotion was enormous at the time, and no matter how the Qionglin Sect tried to cover it up, they couldn't hide it.
Afterward, that woman Li Cai of the Floating Lotus Sword Lake was ruthless—she directly admitted it through the landscape gazette. The Qionglin Sect had no choice but to pretend nothing had happened.
Li Cai had now fallen to the Nascent Soul realm, but the Qionglin Sect would rather tear off all pretense with an Immortal realm cultivator than provoke a Li Cai who had been to the Sword Qi Great Wall—it would invite public wrath.
The swordsmen of Haoran World were all very precious, and very few were willing to be wild practitioners.
And many swordsmen with a registered status actually behaved even more wildly than wild practitioners.
One child asked, "Ancestral Master, was it really that Sword Immortal Li?"
The old man smiled. "Let's just say it was her. If we're being practical, in this world of truth and falsehood, nothing is falser than a name, and nothing truer than money."
From time to time, they secretly hired people to challenge their own Ancestral Hall with swords—the Qionglin Sect was unique in all of Haoran World.
Of course, the Ancestral Halls that those swordsmen smashed were all fantasies that even many direct disciples of the Qionglin Sect would mistakenly believe were real.
Lou Miao knew very well that those who challenged their Ancestral Hall were Liu Jinglong of the Grand Emblem Sword Sect, Rong Chang—Li Cai's chief disciple of the Floating Lotus Sword Lake—and Liu Zhiqing of the Golden Crow Palace.
But the old man, as the sect master, only pretended to be dim-sighted and never mentioned this truth to anyone.
The other child asked a question that many fellow disciples wanted to know the answer to: "Ancestral Master, the outside rumors are all mixed and so harsh. When you hear them, don't you feel uncomfortable or angry?"
The lean old man chuckled. "Being uncomfortable is just a waste of discomfort. As long as it doesn't hinder making money, it's fine."
The two children exchanged glances and looked at the old sect master, who couldn't have a better temper, with even more admiration.
No wonder their families down the mountain all said that an old man with a gentle face tends to have good fortune in his later years.
The child asked, "Does that thief Jiang have some irreconcilable mortal hatred with you, Ancestral Master?"
The old man shook his head with a smile. "No personal grudge at all. I've never even seen him. Being remembered by that old sect master Jiang of the Jade Gui Sect and Chief Zhou of Fallen Mountain is pure undeserved calamity."
In Northern Juzhou, the only native qi refiner who could compete with the outsider Jiang Shangzhen in terms of reputation was Sect Master Lou Miao of the Qionglin Sect, without a single exception.
The Qionglin Sect—which is most conscientious, never makes money, is incorruptible, and shoulders righteousness with an iron will—boasts that it can fight an entire continent with one sect, and treats sword immortals like floating clouds.
Lou Miao's reputation reached its current level largely thanks to Jiang Shangzhen's vigorous push back then.
Lou Miao's Jade Terrace realm was the most solidly genuine realm, one that had to be a true Jade Terrace realm that could crush sword immortals and whose killing power at the same realm was unmatched.
Otherwise, how could Sect Master Lou be acknowledged along with Yuan Lingdian of Zhixuan Peak and Yuan Yang of the Third Sage Temple as being able to easily defeat a Middle Earth Immortal while still at the Jade Terrace realm?
None of the three on that list were happy about this claim.
Probably that thief Jiang's thinking was very "simple": "My reputation is bad, so I need to drag someone down with me to share the misery. Sect Master Lou, you're the one."
If asked why, Jiang Shangzhen would probably say, "Of course it's because you have a good foundation."
If it were just "playful remarks," Lou Miao wouldn't care. The only time the entire Qionglin Sect mobilized in force was because of "someone who claimed to be the direct disciple of the flying ascension wild practitioner Qing Bi from Baiai Continent." He was so insane and outrageous that he raised the Qionglin Sect to the point of equaling White Emperor City, saying that Lou Miao's importance to the Qionglin Sect was like Zheng Juzhong's to White Emperor City—one person equals one sect. Even Fu Lu of talismans, Zhao Tianlai of Dragon Tiger Mountain, and the Fire Dragon True Man of Prostrate Peak, no matter how high their cultivation, didn't have that ability.
What could be tolerated couldn't be, so Lou Miao finally personally issued a bounty, offering a huge reward. The Qionglin Sect united in hatred, vowing to kill the thief Jiang!
Another child asked a childishly innocent question, "Ancestral Master, if that thief Jiang slanders you so much, would you two fight if you ever met?"
Lou Miao shook his head. "We won't fight."
The child said gloomily, "Nowadays, Jiang's reputation isn't as purely bad as before. Occasionally someone speaks well of him."
It was thanks to two things: Jiang Shangzhen took over the position of sect master of the Jade Gui Sect from Xun Yuan. In the situation where an entire continent was destroyed, he single-handedly fled everywhere and managed to kill demons and achieve merits right under the noses of several old Throne great demons.
Jiang had learned how to run so well through his experience in Northern Juzhou.
Also, the "Chief Zhou Fei" of Fallen Mountain was revealed to be that thief Jiang, who supposedly had a mother-in-law in every village. At first, people in Northern Juzhou couldn't believe it.
The last Hidden Officer, Chen Ping'an, had an extremely high reputation in Northern Juzhou, almost equal to the highly respected Fire Dragon True Man. Of course, it was still excellent now, even though the mountain had gained a "Chief Zhou" who never cleaned up after himself. Chen Ping'an and Fallen Mountain could be considered a flaw in white jade.
Many immortal maidens and female cultivators felt sorry for that young Hidden Officer—it seemed that when he first founded his mountain in his hometown, he was indeed very poor.
Otherwise, how could he have let Jiang Shangzhen sneak in?
The old man said with a smile, "Good and bad, right and wrong—it's not that clear-cut. Especially when filtered through the eyes of the world, the scales in people's hearts are even less fair."
One child couldn't help asking, "Even a clay Bodhisattva has three parts of fire. Ancestral Master, are you really not angry at all?"
Lou Miao smiled faintly. "How could I not be angry? If I could kill him, I would have done so long ago. Later, when the time is right, if I can kill him, I certainly will."
Perhaps because the old man's expression was too gentle and his tone very flat, even saying the word "kill" several times, the two children didn't feel any murderous atmosphere at all.
They took their leave.
Lou Miao nodded with a smile and added a few perfunctory words about diligent cultivation and not losing heart when encountering difficulties. He watched the children, umbrellas tucked under their arms, slowly descend the mountain.
Suddenly, the old man stood up and concentrated his gaze on a landscape at the edge of the sect's territory. But the strange feeling passed in a flash. After hesitating for a moment, he didn't investigate further.
Instead, he turned his head to look northward at Prostrate Peak.
That was the real big deal.
Northern Juzhou had clouds of swordsmen, but the only flaw was that it had never had a fourteenth-realm great cultivator to guard its mountains and rivers.
But Lou Miao knew that the Fire Dragon True Man, said to be the boss of both the black and white paths, had attempted to form his Dao twice without success.
Once, at the Celestial Master Residence on Dragon Tiger Mountain, he spent decades reading through their collection and delving into thunder methods, but he came out of seclusion almost as soon as he entered.
Another time, he turned to cultivation of water methods, "consulting the dragon and tiger," trying to merge the paths of water and fire, yin and yang creation, but he was still a bit short.
So this time, when the Fire Dragon True Man returned to his Dao field from the Barren Wild World, Lou Miao still wasn't optimistic. Since the three religious founders scattered their Dao in a torrential rain, and the Fire Dragon True Man couldn't form his Dao then, now that the rain had stopped, he would be even less able to.
But on Prostrate Peak, the old true man had borrowed a cushion and a pot of wine.
So-called secluded cultivation to form the Dao seemed that simple.
Compared to other flying ascension perfection cultivators who were solemn, cautious, and meticulously planned to achieve success in one go, the Fire Dragon True Man seemed to never walk the ordinary path in his dealings, teaching, and preaching.
However, the danger was not something outsiders could comprehend.
Before the Fire Dragon True Man went to get the cushion and sit down, he had already "scattered his Dao" once, and it still wasn't enough.
As a surnamed great celestial master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, the old true man gave up all his thunder methods, returning his Dao techniques to heaven and earth.
Then he got up to borrow a pot of wine to drink. When he finished the pot, he had invisibly "scattered his Dao" again.
Over time, the water methods he had painstakingly cultivated were also abandoned, like the wine pot casually tossed out of the mountain.
It turned out that the Fire Dragon True Man had abandoned both thunder and water methods, staking everything on fire methods alone. He fell two realms, then rose three realms with fire methods alone, entering the fourteenth realm and succeeding in forming his Dao!
Lou Miao thought for a moment, then leaned on his staff and returned to his own Dao field. He isolated several layers of heaven and earth, preparing to participate in a secret meeting. (Note: Chapter 692, "Water Has Not Receded, Stones Have Not Emerged")
The old man glanced at the jade cicada on the top of his staff, his expression calm. There were two meanings, constantly reminding himself not to engage in battles of pride and anger with juniors like Bai Shang and Jiang Shangzhen.
Surviving a calamity, quiet as a cicada in autumn.
Long in hiding, then thundering across the world.
---
A man and two women walked along the blazing riverbank.
The frail girl had vacant, hollow eyes and a sword at her waist. Her nickname was Dou Kou. She was both a martial artist and a swordsman, one of the Hundred Sword Immortals of Tuoyue Mountain, and ranked high.
Her natal flying sword was named "Vicious Ghost."
The man looked wooden, like a servant or attendant to the beautiful woman beside him.
Deep night, walking in the wilderness, the beautiful woman's clothes were still clean, her embroidered shoes unstained by mud. She said cautiously, "Qing Rang, just a few more steps past the border, and we'll be in the territory of the Cloud Rock Kingdom."
Her Dao name was Xian Zao, from the Snow Frost Division of the Extensive Cold City. The Extensive Cold City was one of the three sects of the great demon Fei Fei. By seniority, Xian Zao could call Fei Fei her supreme ancestor master, but she wouldn't dare.
The man said slowly, "As long as that Daoist woman isn't in the capital of Cloud Rock Kingdom, anywhere else is safe."
If not for that, they wouldn't want to stay by this man's side.
The sword-wielding girl sneered, "Big talk."
The man smiled. "This is considered big talk? I hear that true attained Daoists, when they exhale a mouthful of Dao qi, can wither immortals, change the sun and moon, and overturn heaven and earth."
Xian Zao covered her mouth and giggled. "With our three current realms—one Nascent Soul and two Golden Cores—we're discussing the Dao techniques and divine powers of the fourteenth realm?"
The sword-wielding girl looked up into the distance, frowned, and said, "There are two living people over there. Should we really not take a detour?"
Qing Rang curled his lips. "What's there to avoid? A pair of lovers, a passing tryst."
They arrived at a dilapidated, abandoned shrine. Someone had already stopped there to rest and lit a bonfire.
Several large pieces of muntjac meat were roasting, golden fat dripping into the fire with a sizzling sound.
The burly man was eight feet tall, with knotted arm muscles. His face was as white as paper, his eye sockets sunken, without a trace of blood, but his eyes revealed a fierce, cunning gleam.
Anyone could tell at a glance that he was no good person. The woman traveling with him as a temporary couple was actually plain in appearance. The man had simply been without a woman for too long, and now that the mountain and rivers below the mountain were strictly regulated, he wasn't picky. So he had seduced this woman who claimed to be a wild cultivator. But when he stripped off her clothes, he revealed a body as white as mutton fat, truly smooth as cream and seductively abnormal. In the bedchamber's battle, the woman moaned and writhed—a natural-born seductress if ever there was one.
At this moment, the man had thrust his large hand into the woman's collar, lifting her red bellyband. The beautiful woman in his arms, how could she withstand such force? Her eyes were seductive as she begged for mercy from this heartless brute who knew nothing of cherishing beauty, her voice delicate like a warbling oriole.
They entered the courtyard and went into the main hall of the shrine. It was five bays wide, but time-worn and neglected, the carved lattice windows long decayed.
In the center was a large red-lacquered carved incense table covered in dust. On the floor were two worthless gilt-copper incense burners and vases.
The pale-faced man heard rustling footsteps outside and immediately turned to look out of the hall. But then he couldn't tear his eyes away.
He didn't look at the sword-wielding girl—skinny, no meat to speak of.
The little woman beside her was the real beauty.
As for the timid-looking man, his breathing was coarse and his footsteps heavy—just an eyesore.
But times were different now. Caution allows a ship to sail for ten thousand years. The burly man held back his usual impulse to kill without warning.
The beautiful woman moved to hide behind the thin, sword-wielding girl, poked her head out, and said timidly, "Good sir, the government has its laws, and the jianghu has its rules. Even those bandits and outlaws in the greenwood have many conventions they follow. For example, when robbing on the road, or sneaking into houses to steal on moonless, windy nights, as long as the victim doesn't resist or there's no personal vendetta, they won't easily kill. Especially, raping women is a great taboo. Is that right or not?"
The man, probably uneducated, was stunned by this speech.
The woman in his arms laughed heartily, not bothering to cover her exposed chest. In this desolate wilderness, where had such pedantic people come from?
The burly man curled his lip, reached out and grabbed a plump something, causing the woman to cry out in pain. He said, "Little brother, let's make a deal. I'll trade her for the two women beside you. Two for two, how about it?"
Qing Rang asked with a smile, "How is it two for two? Didn't you go to school when you were young?"
The man pointed at Qing Rang with one hand and grinned fiercely, "Doesn't your little life count?"
Qing Rang laughed. "I'm not into that. If you have the skill to take them, go ahead and enjoy them yourself."
He stepped over the main hall threshold first, shook his head, and said with a smile, "But I think you have a solid build. I quite fancy you. I can go fetch some water and personally wash your butt for you."
Qing Rang didn't stand on ceremony. He took a piece of muntjac leg and tore into it with big bites. The burly man had a hideous face, but his cooking skills were commendable.
The burly man and the woman in his arms exchanged looks. Nowadays, people traveling the jianghu were this wild?
Xian Zao followed the sword-wielding girl into the hall, covering her mouth and laughing. "Oh, Qing Rang, so you were hiding this deep. No wonder you're not interested in us."
The sword-wielding girl used heart-to-heart communication to ask, "Why did we come here?"
Qing Rang hesitated for a moment, then said, "Before entering the mountain, I sensed a divine consciousness probing this shrine from afar, very fast. I thought it would be safer here instead."
Xian Zao nodded and clapped her hands in delight. "Makes sense!"
The sword-wielding girl also nodded, sat down cross-legged by the bonfire, and took a piece of muntjac meat.
But just then, a middle-aged scholar carrying a book box appeared, holding a walking staff. He stood outside the hall's threshold. "A moonless, windy night for murder. I'm not disturbing your enjoyment, am I?"