Chapter 1169: Unrivaled on This Mountain
Ning Yao disembarked from the ship and directly returned to the Colorful World. Chen Ping'an said he would make a trip to Ascension City soon. At the time, Ning Yao just nodded without saying anything. Chen Ping'an said he would definitely stay for a few more days this time. Ning Yao still said nothing, only helping him straighten his collar.
Liu Xianyang approached the Western Marchmount region, eager to return home. Before the night boat docked, he alone flew his sword to the Northern Marchmount. The Sword Immortal Liu deliberately flew his sword close to the sea surface, the sword light splitting waves. By the time the great sun shone upon the sea, the rippling waves were golden. Liu Xianyang looked up, sighed softly, and for no reason remembered the words he had spoken early on, words she seemed to have only repeated after him… Gathering his scattered thoughts, Liu Xianyang accelerated his sword flight, leaving the golden sea surface and charging into the clustered green mountains.
Earlier, when the archway at the mountain base was still faintly visible from afar, beneath the sun, a young Daoist with a wooden hairpin sat on a bamboo chair, holding high a crudely printed Daoist scripture. The blazing sun made the light harsh, and reading the book directly would hurt the eyes, so he had found this method.
Of course, it wasn't that Fallen Mountain was stingy with him, the gatekeeper who had never been officially registered, refusing to let him borrow true immortal Daoist texts.
Xianwei felt it was his own lack of progress. He truly couldn't understand those genuine spiritual books and secret manuals. But he hadn't returned them to Fallen Mountain either; they were placed on the table. Occasionally, late at night when the path was blocked by obstacles and he couldn't get through, and reading in the study made him restless, he would glance at them. Poor Daoist, was he reading a book? He was looking at money.
On the contrary, during his wandering travels, the few "Daoist texts" he bought cheaply from those whose foreheads were clearly stamped "Scam Fools" could reveal some inconsequential insights and yield some understanding.
After becoming Lin Feijing's master, Xianwei naturally wouldn't hoard knowledge. Even if he wanted to hoard, he had to have something to hoard, right? He casually shared some of his realizations with Lin Feijing, such as cultivation paths. Lin Feijing actually took it seriously. When he didn't understand at the time, he would return to the town and stay up all night, pondering endlessly, always feeling that he only had a partial understanding, unable to grasp his master's profound meaning. From time to time, when he occasionally had a breakthrough, he would be extremely excited. Finding his master who guarded the mountain gate, the Daoist, actually older and of a higher realm than his master, would become overjoyed. When he reached the part where his Dao heart resonated most with his master's teachings, he would get carried away, waving his hands and feet, spouting nonsensical flattery.
Xianwei, while putting on airs and saying "keep up the good work," actually knew in his heart: This disciple of mine has questionable aptitude.
Relying on his disciple was unreliable. In the future, he would have to depend on himself.
Chen Lingjun once mocked him, saying, "You've drunk so much fake wine that you can no longer appreciate true immortal nectar. You just don't have the fortune to enjoy blessings."
The young Daoist was perfectly happy with this. In fact, he was quite content. He had already enjoyed enough blessings.
After all, he had taken on a disciple and received the master-apprentice tea, but Xianwei hadn't given a master-apprentice gift yet. He wanted to save up money to piece together a decent gift. Since the old saying goes, "A horse won't get fat without night feed," Xianwei wanted to earn some extra money. So he steeled himself to ask Wei Bo if he could help out the next time there was a Night Tour Banquet. He could go to the mountain gate of Piyun Mountain… to lend a hand, like serving tea and water, or helping with the name-calling or something.
Wei Bo, the elegant Divine Lord, was probably stunned by this ridiculous suggestion. He opened his mouth several times but ultimately didn't curse.
Xianwei quickly said he was joking, telling Divine Lord Wei not to take it seriously.
Little did he know that at that moment, Wei Bo's forehead was beaded with sweat.
What he feared most was that the next time there was a Night Tour Banquet, the young Daoist would "kindly" sneak over to "help with the name-calling"... Terrified, Wei Bo immediately returned to Piyun Mountain and rushed straight to the Ritual Department. Not stopping there, he summoned the heads of several bureaus to join the discussion. He couldn't say much, only emphasizing that during the next Night Tour Banquet, they must be vigilant. If they saw Xianwei, the Daoist from Fallen Mountain, they should immediately and courteously escort him out. "Courtesy" was indispensable, and it must be "immediately"... At the time, those present were all top-ranking officials of the Northern Marchmount, influential figures in the landscape officialdom of the entire continent. Hearing their Divine Lord's repeated instructions, they all looked at each other in bewilderment.
As they neared the mountain gate, Jiang She suddenly said, "Wu Yan, we won't take the main divine path at Jiling Peak. Let's detour around from the back mountain."
Xie Gou gloated, "Getting cold feet?"
Jiang She said irritably, "My neck is sore, bending down is too troublesome. Is that reason good enough?"
Xie Gou laughed heartily, "Just a salute to the Daoist, what's so embarrassing about that? Besides, no outsiders would see."
Jiang She shook his head.
He didn't think much of the Three Teachings' Patriarchs; moreover, he had great grudges with them. Meeting them, they would treat each other as equals. But towards this first Daoist in the human world, Jiang She genuinely felt respect. He couldn't bring himself to curse after eating from his bowl. Yet to put on a smiling face and engage in warm conversation with him was also unbearably awkward for Jiang She. It was better not to meet at all. Besides, it seemed the Daoist hadn't truly awakened yet, so there was nothing to talk about.
Wu Yan said with a full smile, "I have to go see him, face to face, see what he's like now. If you can't swallow your pride, then don't go. At most, I'll salute the Daoist twice. No big deal, I'll count it as making up for yours."
Xie Gou thought for a moment and decided to persuade via heart voice: "Wu Yan, are you two really not staying? Just settle down here. I'll have a companion. What's the use of that face? Once you actually live here, you'll realize that things like realms and identities are all bullshit. All the way here, I deliberately said some strange things to Jiang She, to test the waters for you. Military strategy—that's using military strategy. The more I cursed, the more embarrassed the mountain lord and Pei Qian would be to say anything more. Maybe they'd even cool down a bit. Once you're on the mountain, just learn from our Xiaomili, or Pei Qian before her. When she didn't want to go to the town school to study, she had a fresh reason every day not to go down the mountain."
Wu Yan reached out and took the marten-hatted girl's arm, saying with emotion, "So wonderful. Even after ten thousand years, you're still the Bai Jing I knew, and you seem to have become even better."
Pei Qian grew up here.
Jiang She always nitpicked privately, saying that as a teacher, he had brought her up the mountain but hadn't taught her much boxing. He was always going out, with more separation than together. So in his view, Pei Qian wasn't someone he had watched grow up. Wu Yan didn't indulge him either.
Xie Gou looked up at the archway, her expression serious. "Here, one side is strong and invincible, sweeping away all obstacles. The other side is retreating on all fronts, weak and alone. Yet the former doesn't annihilate the latter; instead, they voluntarily make peace. Do you know what the two opposing sides are?"
Wu Yan smiled. "How am I supposed to guess that? Just tell me the answer directly."
Xie Gou chuckled. "Guess for yourself."
The leader of a sect, arriving at his own mountain gate, had no ostentation.
Only the young Daoist stood up, put his book into his sleeve.
Jiang She noticed a young woman practicing boxing. Seeing the group at the foot of the mountain, she didn't speed up her stance practice. Jiang She nodded. Although her martial arts aptitude was average, she completely ignored Chen Ping'an, Bai Jing, Xiao Mo, and the others. She had extraordinary courage—good material.
But soon, a white-haired child suddenly popped out from some corner. The art of shrinking the ground was easy enough. The registrar, holding paper and brush, shook out his dharma robe, sending dust flying, and vigorously shook his head, raising even more dust. Now that his realm was lower, it was hard to eavesdrop on conversations or collect those unique landscape bulletins. No matter—there was no need to panic about breaking through the Dao realm!
The white-haired child ran to the Hidden Official Ancestor's side and asked in a low voice, "Who are they? Need to record them in the register? Your little one is practically useless now—I can't tell the visitors' realms at all."
Chen Ping'an was momentarily at a loss, unsure how to introduce Jiang She and Wu Yan, the Daoist couple.
He merely said through heart voice, "No need to record. I'll find you later for some personal business. Go to the bamboo building and wait for me."
The white-haired child said "Oh," and said, "Hidden Official Ancestor, you go ahead with your business. Your little one will go bathe, change clothes, and burn some incense, then go to the old cook's place for a vegetarian meal."
Chen Ping'an couldn't be bothered to waste words with him and asked, "Where's Xiaomili?"
The white-haired child reported, "Reporting to the Hidden Official Ancestor: She and Alliance Leader Guo are both wearing cloaks, pretending to be female heroes patrolling the mountain. Right now, the Right Protector has a heavy burden and has expanded her jurisdiction—even Gray Mist Mountain gets a few glances. The Left Protector in Dragon-Riding Alley is also a bootlicker, always following along."
Jiang She clicked his tongue in wonder. Even though his realm was gone, his eyesight remained sharp. He could see at a glance her Dao foundation—an extradimensional heavenly demon who had turned back into a human?!
The white-haired child put away the paper and brush, hands on hips. "Doggy, I'm the second-in-command now. Your seat needs to move back."
Xie Gou was stunned, then barked, "Kong Hou, are you out of your mind? You don't even have a registered identity anymore. What seat? Are you self-appointed?"
The white-haired child glared. "How dare you! How dare the third-in-command speak to the second-in-command like that!"
Xie Gou was dubious. What, she hadn't become the chief offering of Fallen Mountain, and this brat had already taken over the Patriarch Hall?
Xianwei was about to greet the two unfamiliar men and women with a bow.
Chen Ping'an shook his head and said, "No need for formalities."
Xianwei hesitated but still intended to bow.
Just then, the gentle-looking woman took the initiative to be polite first, but it was an ancient ritual he didn't understand.
The burly man beside her also cupped his fists, his eyes shining, and said an odd phrase, "Long time, no harm."
Xianwei was utterly confused and simply returned the bow.
A young boy in green swiftly floated down the divine path. Spotting the unfamiliar couple at once, he flapped his sleeves and ran to the mountain gate. Chen Lingjun asked the white goose through heart voice, "Who are these legendary figures? What realm?"
Cui Dongshan said with a grin, "Pei Qian's relatives, visiting. As for realm..."
Chen Lingjun sighed, shook his sleeves, instantly perking up, and lectured, "They're family—why talk about realms?"
Cui Dongshan said slyly, "The man's surname is Jiang. His Dao age isn't small."
"Shut up, big white goose. I know what I'm doing."
The young boy in green bustled over, looked up at this relative of Pei Qian's impressive stature, and praised profusely through heart voice: "Brother Jiang, I won't call you a Daoist friend. Still going strong, huh? Doesn't look old at all. That muscle—solid. You could race a horse on those arms!"
"Don't mind my short stature or low realm. That girl Pei Qian? I watched her grow up. We're tight."
"Brother Jiang, once you're on the mountain, make yourself at home. How about staying at my place? The house is empty. Or let one of the little stewards pick a quiet, clean house for you and your wife. Do you drink? Enjoy a good tipple? If you're a hero at the table, perfect—I'll invite you for an early morning drink tomorrow. If the sister-in-law is strict, just sneak out. If anything goes wrong, I'll take the blame. Just say that drunken sod, Daoist Jingqing, dragged you to the table. What do you say?"
"When we get to the table, Brother Jiang, go easy on the finger-guessing game. With those fists the size of rice bowls, if you get too drunk, don't accidentally hurt anyone... Haha, look, I scared Brother Jiang! Just kidding. Honestly, these days I'm so diligent in cultivation that even if Brother Jiang threw a few full-force punches, I could take it!"
As Chen Lingjun spoke, he winked at Pei Qian. Your relative on the Jiang side—leave him to me. I guarantee he'll drink his fill. When it comes to hospitality, on Fallen Mountain, I dare say I'm third, and no one dares claim second.
Pei Qian rolled her eyes.
Jiang She didn't respond the whole time, glancing sideways at Mountain Lord Chen. Aren't you going to control this?
Chen Ping'an pretended not to see, ignoring him.
Jiang She, irritated by the noise, finally spoke, "You drink?"
The young boy in green took it as a challenge, trying to seize the initiative. A master's duel! Brother Jiang's drinking manners were hard to tell for now, but his capacity—he probably had at least a dozen Wei Hailiangs!
Chen Lingjun dared not be careless, speaking solemnly, "Brother Jiang, shall we settle it at the table?"
Jiang She was utterly defeated.
Jiang Shangzhen, that filthy bird—Jiang She could still curse him out. But this young boy in green was sincerely hospitable, so it was hard to say anything harsh.
After passing through the archway and starting the ascent, Jiang She said through heart voice, "Once we reach the top, have a look around, and then we leave immediately."
Chen Ping'an's attitude was simple: Suit yourself. Come or go, it's up to you.
Pei Qian said she wanted to find Senior Sister Guo and Xiaomili. Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded, saying okay.
Halfway up, Chen Lingjun quickly slipped away. It turned out the mountain lord had cheerfully asked him something: When the Dao Ancestor and the others came to the town, did you chat with the old temple lord about something? The young boy in green immediately said that just thinking about some titles gave him a headache—he couldn't even speak them, let alone remember them. Holding his head, he fled.
At the mountain peak, the group stood leaning on the railing. Jiang She, arms crossed, remained silent, making the atmosphere somewhat oppressive.
Wu Yan broke the silence first, saying, "Now we have two daughters. Of course we're thrilled. In one of the blessed lands of Daoist Bixiao, we found our daughter. She has a wonderful temperament—probably exactly the kind of girl we imagined. How could we not be happy? But back then, she wasn't like that. What Jiang She truly prefers has always been the current Pei Qian. Both daughters are wonderful, too wonderful, but still, there are differences. What parents don't want their children to resemble them? But Jiang She has never liked saying soft words to anyone in his life—stubborn as a mule. He wouldn't say it himself, and he didn't want me to say these things when we met you. On the night boat, I was worried I wouldn't get the chance to say this. Several times I wanted to talk to Pei Qian, to discuss it with Mr. Wensheng, but I was afraid of not explaining clearly, so I held back."
"What she needed to cut away as a heart demon back then wasn't the current 'Pei Qian,' but the daughter we had met earlier!"
"Perhaps she thought her heart demon was the weakness she shouldn't have had."
The woman, eyes reddening, faced Chen Ping'an and performed a wanfu bow. Choking up, she said, "I need to apologize to Mr. Chen first, then thank him."
Chen Ping'an asked, "Why not explain this to Pei Qian face to face?"
The woman shook her head, muttering, "The words are at the tip of my tongue, but I can never say them."
Xie Gou was stunned. Frowning, she said, "That's not right. I've met her a few times. She was very well-behaved."
On Fallen Mountain, no lies! Wu Yan, don't try to use schemes. That would only make things worse.
Wu Yan smiled and shook her head. "That was all for show to outsiders. Back in our place, she was lawless from a young age. Think about it—Jiang She's daughter, and I doted on her terribly. How could she have a meek personality? She grew up steeped in her father's influence. In private, she even helped compile books—what books? All military strategy. She was extremely clever, learned everything quickly. If she wanted to pretend to be well-behaved, what was so hard about that? Back then, Jiang She discussed many major matters openly with her. The father and daughter often consulted each other. Mr. Chen, you must have personally experienced that sharp wit of Pei Qian's when she was little, right?"
Chen Ping'an's expression softened a little. He smiled and nodded, saying softly, "She was young but full of schemes. When I first brought her out of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, we traveled together. It was a real battle of wits. It gave me headaches and frustrated me back then."
He remembered something: on the journey across Tongye Continent, they had all found each other insufferable. Chen Ping'an had actually said plenty of pointed, sarcastic remarks. Once, Little Charcoal secretly jumped into the water, dragging out a huge catfish that had latched onto her arm, and slammed it hard onto the shore. Her arm, thin as a bamboo pole, was covered in wounds. Little Charcoal just stared wide-eyed at Chen Ping'an—who were you calling a freeloader?
"Besides, back then, everyone was busy with major affairs, running around everywhere. Neglecting guidance was inevitable. I only thought that if she had a high enough realm, she could protect herself. As for the Dao heart, whether there were any flaws—the battle for ascension was imminent. Life and death meant nothing. Who was an exception? Back then, we didn't want to care about that. Jiang She didn't care, and neither did I!"
"But that was a story from ten thousand years ago. Now it's different. If Jiang She is still too proud to even come to Fallen Mountain, only caring about his own dignity and face, then I wouldn't have said any of this. The First Martial Ancestor is so great, obsessed with face, huh? Even at his daughter's place, he still thinks he's the most important thing in the world. Fine, then from now on, shut up. If you can't say something, then don't. Suffer in silence!"
"If we had parted from Pei Qian without saying anything, Jiang She, don't come complaining to me privately. Get lost. And if I catch you drinking, I'll smash every bottle I see."
Jiang She remained silent throughout. Even hearing this, he dared not retort.
To be honest, even Jiang Shangzhen felt a bit sorry for Patriarch Jiang.
On Fallen Mountain, everyone was either single or henpecked. At most, Nuan Shu would scold Chen Lingjun a few times. Ning Yao had never spoken a harsh word to Chen Ping'an, had she?
Chen Ping'an, with a straight face, started walking first toward the north side of the peak.
Jiang She silently followed.
After a moment of silence, Jiang She said, "As someone who has been through it, don't be the kind of person who wins ninety-nine battles and loses the last one. Be the kind who can lose ninety-nine times but ultimately win the final battle. On the battlefield, in martial arts, in doing things and being a person—it's all the same."
Chen Ping'an, hands in his sleeves, squinted at Jiang She, clicking his tongue repeatedly.
Jiang She gazed into the distance at the scene of Gray Mist Mountain. He said to himself, "I simply refuse to believe that in this world, with so many clever people, there's someone willing to give up his own Great Dao, ignore a huge personal grudge, just to protect a girl who isn't even his biological daughter. I, Jiang She, will never believe it!"
Chen Ping'an kept clicking his tongue.
Jiang She was furious. He forcibly pulled his gaze away from Gray Mist Mountain and roared, "Chen Ping'an, that's enough!"
"For the first time in my life, I bare my heart to someone, and you sit there being sarcastic?!"
"I accept that you took my daughter. In this matter, I dare not, I don't want to, and indeed I have no right to say a single foul word. But if you ever mistreat Pei Qian, marry her off casually, I will come to Fallen Mountain again! You guys usurped the position—do you really think I can't take it back if I bide my time and endure a few more years?! I can't win the fight for Pei Qian as a daughter, but as the Martial Ancestor..."
Jiang She was so angry that his Dao heart almost... shattered. He saw Chen Ping'an smile and nod, his eyes full of encouragement—curse, curse more, curse as much as you like!
Just as Jiang She was about to head straight to the Martial Ancestor's ancestral court.
A cold snort, not loud but like a thunderclap to Jiang She, rang in the man's ears.
Jiang She abruptly turned to look at Chen Ping'an.
Chen Ping'an had already turned and walked away.
Earlier, outside the Earth God Temple, Chen Ping'an had a private chat with Tong Wenchang about some matters concerning the Yuxuan Nation's court and the Ma clan's offspring.
These were matters of the mortal world and officialdom.
Tong Wenchang considered himself quite familiar with the young Hidden Official. He couldn't say they had heart-to-heart talks, but he felt he had some understanding of Chen Ping'an's temperament and character. Yet, for some reason, after a sea voyage, the young Hidden Official's entire demeanor seemed completely transformed. If before, whether sitting together outside the minor court session smoking a pipe or slurping rice porridge in a small house in the capital, Tong Wenchang's impression was that this young man, regardless of his identities or realm, was someone willing to reason. But during the casual chat outside the Earth God Temple, although the young Hidden Official's expression was still warm, Tong Wenchang had a strange feeling. He felt that after this meeting, Chen Ping'an, or rather the new Great Li National Teacher, was about to start... completely, utterly, unreasonably confronting certain people and matters in this world!
Chen Ping'an walked along the path in the back mountain. Wei Bo was waiting at a pavilion with an extremely long name. He said directly, "At least give me a definite date. His Majesty the Emperor has already informed Piyun Mountain that he will personally come to Fallen Mountain soon, stay on the mountain, and impose on Mr. Chen for a few days."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "Help me pass a message to Song He—tell him not to come here. I'll find time to go to the capital in the next few days."
Wei Bo said with a wry laugh, "Should I also relay the phrase 'find time' verbatim?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. "Of course."
Wei Bo burst out laughing.
At a certain house on the front mountain, Cui Dongshan led Jiang She and Wu Yan to meet the old cook, saying they would have dinner there soon.
After leaving them there and not bothering with them further, Cui Dongshan went to the bamboo building to chat with the registrar.
Jiang She and the woman were a bit confused but didn't mind. They sat on bamboo chairs and began chatting with the "old man" sitting in a rattan chair, waving a palm-leaf fan. Jiang She was in a good mood. This old cook, who claimed his surname was Zhu and always took the role of a junior, talked like a normal person.
Jiang She didn't hide his identity. The old cook lay back in the rattan chair, nodded slightly, and said casually something that made Jiang She want to drink.
"Senior possesses an unwavering, burning heart. He is determined to warm this entire world before he stops. Even if he doesn't succeed, he is still a true hero."
The woman also got an answer from Mr. Zhu that puzzled her. It turned out that the confrontation Bai Jing had described, with such a disparity in forces, was between "tenderness" and "heartbreak."
They looked at each other. Should they stay on the mountain for a few more days?