# Chapter 1179: A Picture of Ascension and Dao Integration
The three Daoists from before, even without wearing hibiscus crowns or fishtail crowns, still had the bearing of so-called immortal seeds at first glance.
The three before them now looked more like wealthy young masters out sightseeing, visiting mountains and seeking immortals. The gatekeeper cultivator would have to stop them and inquire about their household registration and family background.
The mink-capped girl flipped over the third-rank Crime-Free Tablet of the Ministry of Justice, revealing the text.
The two characters "Great Li" were very glaring, while "Third Rank" was slightly better.
The gatekeeper cultivator recognized the goods, so he swallowed the words that had been on the tip of his tongue. So they were upper kingdom immortal masters, high-ranking members of the Great Li Ministry of Justice.
Good thing it was only "Third Rank," not too terrifying. If a second-rank patron had personally come to the Jade Sail Sect during this turbulent autumn when the Great Li court edict had "named names," this gatekeeper cultivator would have worried about the sect being wiped out.
His own newly emerged Nascent Soul ancestral master might not be able to handle the situation either.
Word was that anyone with this token could now swagger freely across the three continents of Bottle Gourd, North Juju, and Parasol Leaf.
Especially on Parasol Leaf Continent, which was like a dutiful grandson to our Bottle Gourd Continent. Some bold wilderness cultivators had learned authentic Great Li official speech, counterfeited a Crime-Free Tablet, and swindled their way through lavish meals and fine wines. It wasn't until the Lower Sect of our Fallen Mountain, the Green Parasol Sword Sect, was established there, along with a new vice-mountain lord of Tianmu Academy who personally took charge of resolving the matter—rumor had it he caught over a hundred people and made them study sage books at the academy—that such "heroic feats" gradually faded away.
To be honest, every time he flipped through those landscape gazettes, seeing how those Parasol Leaf wilderness cultivators not only swindled money from various countries but also deceived the bodies of registered female immortals, it made his heart stir too.
Before passing through the mountain gate, the green-robed scholar walking in the middle unexpectedly turned around and clasped his hands in salute to him.
The gatekeeper's mood lifted slightly as he returned the salute, thinking to himself that these Great Li officials were more courteous than those Shengao Sect Daoists.
They ascended the steps. Ancient trees towered on both sides of the path, lush with green shade. Most were several hundred years old, their serene stone steps repelling the summer heat.
Xie Gou probed tentatively, "Mountain Lord, even with that Gao Gu's third lecture, you're still certain you can't reshape your yin spirit and yang spirit?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "Absolutely impossible."
He wished his teacher and the Ritual Sage had been mistaken in what they said. But was that possible?
Gao Gu's final lecture series at the Huayang Palace on the Dipper Lung Mountain—the most important of the three lectures—was about how to build a Longevity Bridge.
How many ordinary Dao officials and mountain wilderness spirits in the Azure Underworld had he shown a clear path up the mountain through this dharma?
Certainly, the vast majority who saw this dharma would still be unable to successfully build the bridge and embark on the cultivation path. But with just this insightful lecture, Gao Gu deserved the epithet "boundless merit"!
It gave Xie Gou a direct feeling of the boldness possessed by certain Daoists of ancient times.
Not to mention the last lecture on "sword techniques." Even just for Xie Gou, if she ever had the chance to visit Dipper Lung Mountain in the Azure Underworld, she would pay respects at the mountain gate. Or if in the future she encountered Dao officials of the Huayang Palace lineage in some place, Xie Gou would be willing to be more patient.
Xie Gou continued asking, "Mountain Lord, is there still a chance you could refine a Confucian sage's lifebound character?"
Loving to rub salt in wounds, aren't you? Chen Ping'an smiled. "Chief Xie, why don't you go work at the Green Parasol Sword Sect with Chief Zhou instead?"
Xie Gou scratched her mink cap and said, "Then I just can't figure it out."
If the mountain lord still had his out-of-body yin spirit and a yang spirit external incarnation, that would be better. Xie Gou wouldn't worry so much. Being the Great Li national teacher would be manageable—have the yin spirit travel out of body and report for duty daily at the National Teacher's Residence in the Great Li capital.
Furthermore, if the mountain lord were truly an orthodox Confucian disciple who had secretly found the outline of a lifebound character, that would work too. Becoming the Great Li national teacher was like a tailor-made "dao field." For instance, if the character were "culture" or "sacrifice," he could focus on the Rites Ministry affairs of Great Li. If it were "martial," "weapon," "military," or similar, he could follow the Ritual Sage's invitation from before, settle for second best, and focus on the Military Ministry.
But the problem was that both paths were clearly unviable.
Xie Gou whispered, "I dare to say something treasonous—it seems the mountain lord has put the cart before the horse."
If he had already achieved ascension and was progressing step by step, carefully exploring and verifying the path of dao integration, that would be fine. But currently, Chen Ping'an was still at the immortal realm, far from the stage where a cultivator would be stirred from stillness and actively wade into the mortal world. Had the path of refining all things been cut off by that bastard Jiang She? Had the feasibility of verifying the "ascension method" through watching that Daoist Ding of Guan Dao also come to nothing? Had the mountain lord become disheartened and demoralized, seeking to distract himself from depression through busy worldly affairs and court business?
Xiao Mo suggested, "Young Master, why not seek out a few secret dao books? Of course, the best would be those with complete dao lineages that could help the young master cultivate Dragon-Entwining Arts as a supplementary practice?"
Xie Gou nodded vigorously. "Great idea!"
It was a way out when there was no way.
If he became the Great Li national teacher, he couldn't just be like someone working a short-term job while having to supplement it with his own funds, right?
Xie Gou quickly added, "The Dragon-Entwining Arts lineage on the Righteousness Continent here is quite mixed. Isn't there a suspicion of having many techniques but shallow dao? If we're going down this path, we shouldn't be careless."
Xiao Mo smiled and nodded. "Of course we'll be selective."
Xie Gou began pondering where she could "borrow" a lineage and dao books. Hey, these two patrons, a dao couple, were really exhausting themselves worrying about their mountain lord's cultivation path.
Generally speaking, when it came to Dragon-Entwining, one couldn't avoid the Daoist path. Chen Ping'an would serve as the Great Li national teacher, spend twenty or thirty years, or at most a hundred years, achieve merit and establish deeds, help the Great Li dynasty—which had already become one of the top ten dynasties on the Righteousness Continent—thrive with its national power rising steadily, and eventually secure the top position. Then he would withdraw from the court and return to the mountains, fulfilling the saying, "Achieve merit and then retreat—this is the Way of Heaven."
Xiao Mo, however, was thinking about the Dao officials on the Azure Underworld Continent who were most proficient in this art. He could ask Fellow Daoist Bixiao for a few books. As for the origin of those dao books and lineages, that would be Bixiao's concern.
Or should he make another trip to the Year-End Palace and ask Wu Shuangjiang? Given this man's strategic mind, he definitely wouldn't lack such things. Perhaps he was just waiting for the young master to ask?
The narrow sense of Dragon-Entwining Arts had two types. The mundane: assisting someone to ascend the dragon throne during chaotic times and become a founding emperor. The immortal: assisting true dragons and vermilion birds like that.
Or more broadly, leaving the mountains to preside over court governance, ordering the state and benefiting the people, assisting a ruler to become a restoration ancestor, prolonging the national mandate, ensuring peace and prosperity. Or helping a final dynasty ruler, where ruler and minister unite to reverse a desperate situation, turn the tide against chaos, and transform it into a peaceful kingdom.
The most impressive, of course, was like the Embroidery Tiger—turning the tide of heaven, gathering the strength of an entire kingdom to save a continent from devastation.
When they reached the mountainside, they saw a large, prominent rock jutting out with the cliff inscription "Flying Immortal Platform." Steps were carved into the stone, making the climbing path like a line of sky. Iron chains served as handrails on both sides. A pyramidal pavilion crowned the top, with moss and vines hanging down like hair, tender green mist floating—charming and lovely.
Chen Ping'an looked up at that "Flying Immortal Platform" but showed no intention of stepping into the pavilion. He said, "It's not that it's useless. In the short term—thirty to fifty years—governing Great Li court affairs with Daoist-leaning Dragon-Entwining Arts would indeed benefit cultivation. But using the deliberate mind to calculate against the heavenly mind ultimately falls far short. If Senior Brother Cui were watching from the sidelines, he'd probably be looking at me with a smile, as if saying, 'Is that it?'"
Xie Gou frowned deeply. From the mountain lord's implication, he had already thought of more? Putting herself in his shoes, even Xie Gou would be exasperated. Heaven truly leaves no dead end?
A ravine soared through the air, crossed by a suspended bridge. Looking back down at the path they came, it disappeared into the clouds. It seemed the peaks before were already beneath their feet.
According to the mountain gazetteer, the two streams called Red Brook and Green Brook converged here—one turbid red like blood, one green like jade.
The ancestral mountain of the Jade Sail Sect didn't lead straight to the Patriarch Hall in a single line. Instead, a mountain ridge path branched off, cut like a knife or sword, like the back of a carp, leading to a higher peak. Chen Ping'an casually found a vine, squeezed it gently in his palm, and it became a simple walking stick. Walking atop the ridge, which was no more than a few zhang wide, the path paved with large green stone slabs. On both sides of the mountain spine, clouds crashed against the walls and surged, turning into waves of golden light under the sunlight. Occasionally, flocks of birds would burst out of the sea of clouds.
On the stone slab path, the crisp sound of the walking stick tapping the ground echoed. Chen Ping'an remained silent for a long time before explaining, "According to the original plan, the foundation I built for the immortal realm wasn't bad. Protecting the Dao for Daoist Ding—that is, observing the Dao—gave me a certain confidence to achieve ascension. Once I reached the ascension realm, I would be insatiable, refining all things, never satisfied."
"Step by step, I would reach the martial divine realm, preferably the eleventh realm, achieving the ambition of bodily divinity before a hundred years old. Living secluded in my dao field, I would also focus on talisman drawing—the more the better, millions, tens of millions, to build a ladder. So even without that fight with Jiang She, I would have only kept the five elemental lifebound objects, turning everything within my personal heaven and earth into primordial chaos."
"What I sought was the 'purity' of a fourteenth-realm sword cultivator."
"The path of dao integration would be ascending to heaven."
"Therefore, the first thing upon becoming a fourteenth-realm pure sword cultivator would be to challenge Zhou Mi."
Xie Gou thought for a moment and finally reached a conclusion: in matters of cultivation, the mountain lord wasn't actually stupid. Jiang She really deserved a beating!
Chen Ping'an's expression was calm. There was no bitterness on his face, not even indignation.
Twin cliffs faced each other. They walked along a sunny plank road. Suddenly, ape cries and bird calls echoed in the mountains.
The plank road on the opposite cliff was shrouded in dim light, so much so that pedestrians needed to carry lanterns. Isolated points of light glowed like phosphorescent flames on grave mounds at night.
Xiao Mo glanced at the opposite side. Those were probably menial disciples of the Jade Sail Sect.
Chen Ping'an smiled. "When I was young, I lived a hard life, but I gritted my teeth and kept going. I had to live properly and with dignity. Deep down, I naturally hoped the neighbors would long remember my parents' goodness. No matter what, even though they left early, they still raised a child with good upbringing. Taking over the Great Li national teacher position is the same principle."
"Senior Brother Cui didn't care at all about his posthumous reputation, but I care about the world's views and evaluations of Cui Chan. I care very much."
"I admit I have an obsession."
"I want to correct the mistakes—both big and small—that Senior Brother Cui deliberately left behind, to patch up the gaps. I want what was already good and right to become better, to tend toward a more pure 'goodness.' This is an exam paper left by an examiner who has already left, on Senior Brother's 'desk.' For the next hundred years, whether the Great Li dynasty becomes better or worse—whether I have made the dynasty that Senior Brother Cui and Teacher Qi placed their hopes in even better—that is an answer sheet that only I know."
"But if I stop there, I would be nothing more than a kind-hearted pure Confucian? But as the junior brother personally protected by Cui Chan, and as the last Hidden Official of Sword Qi Great Wall, if I don't undertake meritorious work, who will? If I don't inherit the legacy of Cui Chan's practical scholarship, who can?"
"Does Emperor Song He truly not want to completely break free from the shadow of the Embroidery Tiger? To lead the Great Li dynasty into a brand-new era on his own? But I appeared, and he had no choice."
This kind of sentiment was only human, perfectly normal. Originally, when Shen Chen, Zhangsun Mao, Wei Li, and these old-timers gradually withdrew from the court, including Wei Liang—one of Cui Chan's confidants—his staying or leaving would depend on whether he knew his place. After that, whether it was Zhao You, Cao Gengxin, Wu Wangcheng, and others, this rising group of central Great Li ministers would all revolve around Emperor Song He's will. Over time, ruler and ministers would reach an understanding, and the latter would begin to rotate on its own.
At the previous Literary Temple assembly, it was decided that the Rites Ministers of all nine continents would have to be Confucian academy scholars. However, the Literary Temple ultimately gave a twenty-year buffer period. Thinking about Li Huai, who was already a worthy of the Cliffside Academy, possibly becoming Rites Minister of some small southern country in the future—that would be quite interesting. There was no helping it. Back on that study tour, Li Huai was the youngest among them, someone who couldn't even take a shit in the middle of the night without needing someone to "protect his dao."
Near the mountaintop, Xie Gou asked via heart-to-heart, "Mountain Lord, have you found a new path?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. "I have to try. But I'm different from Vice Minister Cao. When I brag, I make a draft first."
Xie Gou grinned and gave a thumbs up, sincerely praising, "Mountain Lord, if you were the same age as us, you'd be incredible."
Chen Ping'an didn't accept the compliment. He chuckled, "Earlier at the Fuyanglu Dao Field, which patron was swimming belly-up to watch the joke?"
Xiao Mo glanced at the bewildered mink-capped girl and said irritably, "Keep acting, keep acting."
Xie Gou asked cautiously, "Was it your senior brother, the Embroidery Tiger, who paved the way for you?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "He wouldn't bother. As long as I stop being blind to what's right under my nose, I can figure it out myself."
Xie Gou was puzzled. "Is the trick inside the National Teacher's Residence? I can't be wrong about that, can I? But I've even wandered through the main hall and Cui Chan's study. How did I not grasp it?"
Chen Ping'an said, "The same mountains and waters, seen with different mindsets—how could the insights be the same?"
Xiao Mo hesitated, then asked, "Mountain Lord, you're not planning to integrate with the land's advantages, are you?"
Chen Ping'an laughed angrily. "Then how would I go to the Five Colors Continent or the Azure Underworld? By carrying the entire Bottle Gourd Continent on my back?"
Xie Gou whooped, "Then that would truly be unprecedented—leaving one's homeland with one's back!"
Chen Ping'an brought together two fingers and gave her a flick on the head.
Remembering something, Chen Ping'an asked via heart-to-heart, "Xiao Mo, after reaching the fourteenth realm, what is your view of the world?"
Regarding what a fourteenth-realm cultivator saw of the "world," the Fire Dragon True Person had described it to Xie Gou at the Fish Scale Ferry.
Earlier, when Chen Ping'an temporarily borrowed Daoist arts from Lu Chen to travel around Bottle Gourd Continent, he had also gained some unique "insights."
Xiao Mo said, "Three types of visions roughly. One: looking back at the path you came from, you can see several thousand 'Xie Gous' along a dozen li of mountain road, like a series of frozen frames. Also, the 'Xie Gou' now traveling forward on the path ahead—but not many, a hundred paces, a few dozen figures, and their outlines grow fainter."
"Second: seeing green mountains like swords, seeing rivers and streams also like swords. With just a slight mental movement, you can freely wield mountains and waters as longswords."
"Third: perhaps because of one of my lifebound flying swords, I can see a thread of sword light suspended in the heavens beyond."
Chen Ping'an was full of praise and nodded. "Truly magnificent."
Xie Gou rubbed her face, looking disgruntled. Before, she was the one chasing Xiao Mo to become dao partners. Now... it seemed she was still chasing Xiao Mo, wasn't she?
Xiao Mo said, "Young Master, don't let her put on airs here. According to Fellow Daoist Bixiao, Bai Jing ten thousand years ago could already see or hear at least five or six such visions. Fellow Daoist Bixiao said those visions were 'embryonic forms of the great dao.' But precisely because of that, Bai Jing was burdened, as if suffering 'heaven's aversion.' For her to reach the fourteenth realm was harder than for many prodigies."
Xie Gou hugged her mink cap and swayed her head. "Hey!"
Chen Ping'an couldn't be bothered to respond. He felt like he'd been stabbed a few more times.
Xiao Mo turned to look at Xie Gou and said seriously, "Fellow Daoist Bixiao told you to stop squandering your talent. If you can't achieve dao integration for a single day, what use is having so many embryonic great dao forms reserved for you by heaven and earth?"
Xie Gou spat, "What business is it of his? So what if he's a realm higher..."
Xiao Mo immediately got angry and reached out to press down on her mink cap. Xie Gou quickly changed her tune, "Of course it matters!"
As they neared the Patriarch Hall, a Jade Sail Sect cultivator appeared, riding the wind. She braced herself and said, "Our sect is holding a Patriarch Hall meeting. Please stop here, honored guests."
Her attention was on the girl climbing in the middle. She feared the girl might lose her temper on the spot. Then should she block her or not?
So she deliberately didn't notice the Great Li Ministry of Justice patron token at the mink-capped girl's waist.
Xie Gou deliberately picked up the token and shook it. Recognize this?
Xiao Mo smiled. "We won't go to your Patriarch Hall. We just want to look at the nearby stele for a moment."
The female cultivator still looked troubled. Of course, the logic was sound, but afterward, you all would leave, while she would be held accountable by the Patriarch Hall. What then?
But Chen Ping'an, who had slightly altered his appearance, took out a second-rank Crime-Free Tablet from his sleeve.
So earlier, at the Sword Boat, Zhao You hadn't been polite with his young master uncle either. Hearing that he was going to the Jade Sail Sect, he asked him to deliver this token. In this operation within Qiu Kingdom, over four hundred people had been dealt with at once. Yet only sixteen spies and death warriors had received patron tokens or had their token ranks upgraded. The rest were merely recorded in the books, having gained a merit on their Ministry of Justice records.
The female cultivator glanced at the token and silently made way. It was her first time seeing a second-rank patron token issued by the Great Li Ministry of Justice. Quite an experience.
Some busybodies had estimated that among the three types of Crime-Free Tablets issued by the Great Li Ministry of Justice, first-rank patron tokens could be counted on one hand in the literal sense.
Second-rank ones probably amounted to one per prefecture of Great Li. What such a token was worth could be judged for oneself.
The female cultivator guessed that this ordinary-looking middle-aged scholar in blue was probably the highest-ranking spy in our Han Prefecture. Truly, you can't judge a book by its cover. As the rumors said, the best spies were those who blended into the crowd, people you might glance at once but never a second time.
Xiao Mo felt helpless. Xie Gou struggled to suppress her laughter. The mountain lord's expression was calm, his gait unhurried.
Atop the ancestral mountain of the Jade Sail Sect, by custom, a stele was erected on the summit.
This stele was personally inscribed by National Teacher Embroidery Tiger. Text by Zhao Duanjin of the Rites Ministry. Carvings by the Works Ministry. The Great Li border army erected steles on the mountains of various kingdoms.
Back then, the timid and flattering immortal sects of Bottle Gourd Continent placed the stele directly at their Patriarch Hall entrance. The bolder ones placed it in an inconspicuous spot on the cliff edge, so they wouldn't have to see it often. The Jade Sail Sect fell into the latter category, but they also took a shortcut—they built a pavilion over the stele to shelter it from wind and rain.
At the stele, inside the pavilion, two groups of people were already there.
One group consisted of Shengao Sect Daoists, Han Prefecture army accompanying cultivator Fu Ji. The sibling pair: Qi Mei and Qi An. A young Daoist boy, Yan Dao.
One of the Great Li Earth Branch lineage cultivators, female formation master Han Zhoujin. She had originated from the Clear Pool Blessed Land of the Shengao Sect and was no stranger to Fu Ji.
The other group were all Great Li spies. The personal disciple of the former sect leader, "Ling Pei" True Person, named Hong Ni, with a burly build. This man had just been weeping in the Patriarch Hall, saying his master had ridden a crane back to the mountains—in fact, he himself had personally sent his master onto the crane's back.
Also present was the menial disciple who had earlier claimed to be at the Cavern Dwelling realm, allowing his "Nascent Soul ancestor" Pang Yun to kill him casually. His alias at the Jade Sail Sect was Liu Wang, but his real name was Huang Qu. He was actually the head of all intelligence operations in the vassal Qiu Kingdom, currently holding only a third-rank patron token. His direct superior, the head of all spies in Han Prefecture, was also his teaching master and guide into the Ministry of Justice—that old man was the true second-rank patron.
Huang Qu had just been promoted to direct disciple of Pang Yun. At least within the Jade Sail Sect, his status had undergone a earth-shattering change. In the Patriarch Hall just now, Pang Yun had steeled himself to ask him via heart-to-heart: if he designated Huang Qu as the next sect leader, could he, Pang Yun, obtain a Great Li Crime-Free Tablet? Huang Qu said this needed to be reported to the Ministry of Justice; he couldn't decide on his own. Pang Yun then asked him to negotiate with the Ministry of Justice soon.
Pang Yun wasn't on either list. On one hand, the old cultivator wasn't deeply involved in Qiu Kingdom's court politics and had no interest in those temple struggles. On the other hand, he had indeed gone to the Companion Capital battlefield, staying there for over two years. As for being at the Nascent Soul realm, fighting back and forth with a Fiend Abyss Fiend Lord at the Jade Capital realm... well, his own Jade Sail Sect and Qiu Kingdom court and public could take that as they pleased.
The truth was that on that Great River battlefield, Pang Yun was just providing support, tossing out techniques and spells from a distance, or cleaning up the battlefield.
For this Jade Sail Sect matter, the actual Cavern Dwelling realm cultivator Huang Qu was in the open, while the Han Prefecture army accompanying cultivator, sword cultivator Fu Ji, was in the shadows.
With the Ministry of Justice business concluded and each side having gained something, they gathered here to chat. Such connections on the mountain were always made this way.
Huang Qu and Hong Ni, deep down, naturally envied these sect Daoists' backgrounds and lineages, but they weren't jealous enough to let it show.
Fu Ji and the others respected the two before them, who were said to be military veterans turned Great Li spies. However, they didn't truly want to follow the same path of official promotion. Cultivators, after going through worldly trials once or twice, would ultimately return to the mountains.
Fu Ji had once witnessed, on the battlefield north of Old Dragon City, millions of Fiend Abyss demon armies surging forward like a tide.
Under the sunlight, the densely arrayed Great Li border troops, their talisman armor gleaming... such a magnificent scene, Fu Ji never wanted to see again.
Chen Ping'an and his two companions appeared in their field of vision, halting the chatter inside the pavilion.
Fu Ji felt that this middle-aged scholar with a staff was paying particular attention to her. Strange. Wasn't Qi Mei more beautiful?
Chen Ping'an stopped outside the pavilion, took out his second-rank patron token, and looked at Huang Qu. He smiled, "Vice Minister Zhao of the Ministry of Justice asked me to give this to you."
Huang Qu and Hong Ni quickly walked out of the pavilion. The former took the token with both hands, took a deep breath, and didn't ask further. He simply nodded in acknowledgment to the man, then took out his original patron token and handed it over. The man smiled and put it into his sleeve.
Hong Ni punched Huang Qu on the shoulder. "Good for you! Promoted! Remember to look out for me!"
Huang Qu grinned widely, looking foolishly happy.
The Daoists inside the pavilion also offered congratulations to Huang Qu. Then they made Daoist salutes and departed on their swords or riding the wind.
Sensing something off about the Daoist boy beside him, Qi An asked with confusion, "Short-legged show-off, what's wrong?"
Yan Dao's intuition had always been sharp. Could that token that man handed over be forged? Had Yan Dao sensed something amiss?
Yan Dao shook his head vigorously. "I just feel that man looks familiar, but I can't place him."
Fu Ji said, "I feel like he's interested in me."
Yan Dao and Qi An immediately exchanged glances. Our Ancestral Master Fu really does love to joke.
Qi Mei's expression was complicated, but she said nothing. He seemed to be the straw-sandal-wearing youth masquerading as a sword immortal back then, in that haunted house outside Rouge Prefecture City, beside the bearded wandering knight and the young Daoist with a peachwood sword.
The six Great Li sword boats didn't return to dock immediately. Instead, they began patrolling one by one over the prefectures where vassal kingdoms were located.
Sunset.
Commissioner Zhangsun Mao, nearly eighty years old, had just been granted the title of Grand Secretary of the Literary Splendor Pavilion a few days ago and was now transferred to become Minister of Personnel.
This old man, who had become the Great Li "Heavenly Official," was also quite surprised himself. But that rascal Ma Yuan was clever enough to know to "warm the cold stove" in advance, coming to the Transmission Office to spout a bunch of nonsense. Zhangsun Mao hadn't caught on at the time—he didn't even dare to think such a thing. He just repeated his old refrain, telling Minister Ma not to let his conscience be eaten by dogs, to look after Guan Yiran. If that little bastard couldn't adapt to the Revenue Ministry, you, Ma Yuan, should go speak to His Majesty and let him come to my Transmission Office instead.
The Great Li dynasty had over a hundred prefectures, with various prefectural guildhalls scattered throughout the capital. This allowed local officials to have a place to stay when they came to the capital for meetings or reporting duties. But not just any prefecture could build its guildhall near the Thousand-Step Corridor. Being able to be even slightly near the imperial city already indicated wealth and connections in court. Only a very few, like the guildhalls of Chu Prefecture and Hong Prefecture, could be close to Southern Fragrance Ward. The guildhalls of some large prefectures were at most on the inner city border near the imperial city.
Thousand-Step Corridor, Southern Fragrance Ward.
Cao Gengxin had persuaded Zhou Haijing and Gai Yan to use Chen Ping'an's name and make him the big shopkeeper. He wouldn't need to put up money or labor, just take a yearly dividend. Zhou Haijing had always had wild ways of making money, while Gai Yan, who ran an immortal inn in the capital, was someone who fell into a money pit and couldn't get out. When they heard this idea, they both felt it was perfectly feasible. So they just kept Chen Ping'an in the dark and opened a teahouse together.
The teahouse was inside the Wei Prefecture Guildhall. Whether they paid rent or not was unclear.
So when a flying sword message reached the Sunset Peak of Fallen Mountain and Chen Ping'an received his first dividend of several dozen silver taels, even he was a bit stunned.
If the Qiu Kingdom matter had Chen Ping'an, the new national teacher, being thrown into the role before he was ready, at least it had been discussed in a small court meeting and the National Teacher's Residence. But you guys—Cao Gengxin and the others—could really think big. Dare to think, dare to do, dare to take responsibility, huh?
In the twilight, a carriage slowly stopped at the entrance of the Wei Prefecture Guildhall. The coachman was a handsome young man in a yellow hat and blue shoes. Chen Ping'an, who had used a disguise technique, lifted the curtain and jumped down.
Xie Gou wasn't interested in tea. She was back at the National Teacher's Residence, writing furiously. She had borrowed Rong Yu's study and was buried in writing landscape travel notes, occasionally asking Rong Yu to glance over them.
Cao Gengxin was entertaining a guest, personally brewing tea. Seated opposite him was the Wei Prefecture Governor, Lou Mian, who had come to the capital on business.
Wei was one of the few large prefectures in Great Li. Governor Lou Mian was efficient in his work and had a good official reputation in the Great Li court. He especially emphasized education and water conservancy in his jurisdiction, with outstanding achievements. This probably had to do with Lou Mian's own background—he was from Yu Prefecture, his ancestors generations of peasants stooped over the land. He had entered officialdom through the imperial examinations and was close to the Pillar State Cao family. In his fifties, if nothing unexpected happened, he could still rise higher.
This time, Lou Mian had come to the capital but hadn't been able to see Pillar State Cao Qiao. That Cao Gengxin was willing to grant him an audience was already quite surprising to Lou Mian.
Lou Mian smiled and asked, "Yuanmei, tell me, who are you going to introduce me to?"
Yuanmei was Cao Gengxin's courtesy name.
Cao Gengxin smiled. "The behind-the-scenes big shopkeeper of this teahouse. I'm just helping out."
Lou Mian chuckled dryly.
Lou Mian was a prefectural governor. His lodging was specially arranged by the Court of State Ceremonies. He wouldn't stay here.
Originally, he had some questions he wanted to ask Cao Gengxin privately—for instance, why had Zhangsun Mao been promoted to Minister of Personnel? Why had the Great Li sword boats suddenly taken off to patrol the territories of vassal kingdoms? Especially the rumor that the court was planning to establish circuits above the prefecture level. But when he came in and started the conversation, Cao Gengxin casually changed the subject. Lou Mian caught the hint and just chatted idly over tea. Regardless, the one brewing tea was a Vice Minister of Personnel younger than himself. That Cao Gengxin could still call him Uncle Lou, and he could call him Yuanmei—that was their tacit understanding.
A soft knock at the door. Cao Gengxin shifted his weight slightly. Lou Mian had already stood up and went to open the door first. Besides the guildhall maid, there was a blue-robed man with an easy demeanor. Lou Mian froze on the spot. The man smiled and extended a hand forward. Lou Mian instantly suppressed the storm in his heart, immediately stepped aside, and slowly walked back to his seat. Before gently closing the door, the man thanked the maid.
Cao Gengxin grinned cheekily, clasped his hands and said with a laugh, "Sword Immortal Chen is truly hard to invite! Your esteemed presence! Let me introduce you—Lou Mian of Wei Prefecture. I call him Uncle Lou. Uncle Lou watched me grow up."
Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded, sat down on a chair, and took the teacup Cao Gengxin handed him. Only then did Lou Mian sit down.
Zhou Haijing and Gai Yan were in the next room, eavesdropping. Their relationship had improved considerably now—after all, they were business partners.
This tea-drinking session didn't actually cover much. It was about the local customs of Wei Prefecture, some interesting anecdotes from the capital court. Mainly, Cao Gengxin was weaving things together, rambling here and there.
After finishing tea, Chen Ping'an walked ahead with Lou Mian. The corridor and stairs were narrow, so Cao Gengxin followed behind them with a smile.
As they went down the stairs, Lou Mian—who wasn't tall to begin with—slightly turned sideways and bowed his head slightly, continuing to chat with this "Mr. Chen." Chen Ping'an, hands in his sleeves, also smiled and responded.
Behind on the stairs, Cao Gengxin saw at the teahouse entrance a man who clearly looked like an official, hands clasped behind his back, surrounded by attendants. The official was looking up at the various tea utensils and tea cakes displayed in the high glass cabinets, offering commentary, with the people around him bursting into laughter. After going down the stairs, Cao Gengxin saw that official strut into the teahouse with great pomp. Then, with the speed of lightning, he lowered his head and bent his waist, leaving behind the hangers-on from his own county who were making money in the capital. They had originally recommended this place for him to broaden his horizons, saying the teahouse owner had significant connections. Now, seeing Lou Mian approaching from the front, the official quickened his pace, moistened his throat with a swallow, suddenly stopped two steps away from the governor, and quietly identified himself to Lou Mian.
A prefectural governor—a regional magnate ruling over sixteen prefectures and over a hundred counties. The governor didn't recognize him, but how could he not recognize Governor Lou?!
Lou Mian's expression was blank. He nodded. "These are two of the teahouse's owners, Mr. Chen and Master Cao."
The official didn't understand the situation and was confused. He didn't ask further. He just bowed and scraped, accompanying Governor Lou out of the teahouse, escorting him to a carriage that seemed tucked away in an inconspicuous corner. Before boarding the carriage, Lou Mian glanced at this county magistrate, whose official prestige was terrifying, but said nothing. He got into the carriage, which slowly departed from the Wei Prefecture Guildhall.
Sitting inside the carriage, Lou Mian closed his eyes to rest. It seemed the court's plan to merge several prefectures into a circuit was inevitable. Good news!
Before today, Lou Mian had been completely unaware that that Mr. Chen was in the capital. But after drinking tea, many questions had become clear.
From now on, every directive issued by the National Teacher's Residence would be a powerful pulse of the Great Li dynasty.
A kingdom is like a human body!
But thinking about that county magistrate earlier—he had only gotten a rough understanding from reading case files before. Now, he had thoroughly remembered that name.
Lou Mian opened his eyes, his lips moving slightly. It was a phrase in his native dialect.
Xiao Mo drove the carriage to the inner city area.
Lin Shouyi owned a small house in the Great Li capital. Actually, he had bought two houses earlier. One had been rented out.
The tenant was Wu Wangcheng, now a Vice Minister of War.
His Majesty had already granted Wu Wangcheng a mansion, and he had moved in. But he hadn't terminated the lease on the rented house.
Wu Wangcheng was the kind of man who could survive a battlefield alive—he was no crude brute or hot-headed fool.
Chen Ping'an folded his hands, tapping his index fingers gently together.
Originally, he had envisioned two paths to dao integration. For instance, if the ascension method he had grasped at the immortal realm could truly succeed in achieving ascension and flying up, then afterward, if he couldn't ascend to heaven and integrate the dao, there was still a candidate path. Now that the steps had been disrupted, it didn't matter. He just needed to change the order.
Xiao Mo said, "Young Master, we've arrived."
Chen Ping'an got off the carriage and knocked on the door, purposely asking loudly, "Is Lin the Jade Capital at home?"
Lin Shouyi had just arrived in the capital today. He opened the door and asked with confusion, "Since you're not here to collect a debt, why did you call me here?"
But to Xiao Mo, his face showed a different expression. He smiled and said, "Greetings, Mr. Xiao Mo."
Xiao Mo smiled back. "Greetings, Young Master Lin."
Chen Ping'an led Xiao Mo into the courtyard and said with a smile, "Do you want to take the imperial examinations?"
Lin Shouyi thought he had misheard. "What?!"
Chen Ping'an said, "If I'm not mistaken, Uncle Lin has always hoped you would become an official."
Lin Shouyi's face was full of conflicting emotions. He couldn't speak.
Chen Ping'an smiled. "My student Cao Qinglang was in the top three of the first rank. For you, it's more uncertain. Getting a second-rank jinshi would be a pleasant surprise."
Lin Shouyi frowned. "What's this all about?"
Chen Ping'an didn't hide anything. He told him about the emperor's decision to appoint him "future Minister of Personnel."
Lin Shouyi found it utterly absurd. Bitterly smiling, he said, "What does this have to do with anything?"
Chen Ping'an said, "Even getting a third-rank associate jinshi would do."
Lin Shouyi asked, "Have you taken up the new national teacher position?"
Chen Ping'an nodded with a smile. "So I want you to go study there. When I get private tutoring, I'll have a friend to eat with and chat about various things."
Lin Shouyi thought for a moment and said, "Moving to your place to study won't work. Too uncomfortable. As for whether I can pass the jinshi exam, I'll rely on my own ability to try. If I fail once, I'll try twice. If I fail twice, I'll honestly remain a cultivator."
Chen Ping'an sighed with relief. "I've been waiting for you to say that."
Lin Shouyi said, "Don't help me cheat! You know my temper. Be careful, or we can't remain friends."
Chen Ping'an nodded. "Of course."
Lin Shouyi smiled. "A second-rank jinshi shouldn't be too hard."
Chen Ping'an smiled without speaking.
Lin Shouyi suddenly said, "Actually, the official I most want to be is either the mountain lord of Cliffside Academy or the mountain lord of Spring Mountain Academy."
Chen Ping'an nodded. "You definitely can. I can guarantee that. Let's be selfish then."
Lin Shouyi said nothing more.
Chen Ping'an said, "Come over to my place when you have time."
Lin Shouyi asked, "In such a hurry to go back?"
Chen Ping'an sighed. "You're a man of leisure; I'm a busy man. Is it the same?"
Lin Shouyi didn't press him to stay. He saw Chen Ping'an off to the alley outside the door. Seeing Lin Shouyi's hesitant expression, Chen Ping'an found it amusing. It was about the same as when they were young—pretentious.
Chen Ping'an waved and got into the carriage. Just as he lifted the curtain, he heard Lin Shouyi call out a title with a smile. Chen Ping'an paused, hummed in acknowledgment, and ducked inside the curtain.
Lin Shouyi's address was "Young Master Uncle."
National Teacher's Residence. The main hall of the third courtyard was originally Cui Chan's place for receiving guests and holding meetings.
At the previous small court meeting, Emperor Song He had said that the "mountain techniques" of the National Teacher's Residence would only surpass those of the Imperial Study. At the time, Chen Ping'an had joked that he wasn't afraid of overstepping his authority. When Chen Ping'an got a secret jade token similar to a "travel pass" from Rong Yu and truly crossed that hall threshold, using the token to dispel layer after layer of illusions, he understood what "another world" meant. Forget overstepping—it was practically rebellion.
Except for the palace's rear quarters and the alley outside the Common Knowledge Cloud Tower, Cui Chan could use this place to reach any spot in the entire capital.
Chen Ping'an chose the wing opposite Cui Chan's study as his "small office" for handling official business. But before letting that youth Han Kui enter the backyard, Chen Ping'an had personally rearranged the layout of this main hall. Rong Yu and Fu Qing helped "move" geographical maps and dossiers from various offices—including the official archives of the new Great Li, stored materials from the old kingdoms north of the Great River on Bottle Gourd Continent, and secret records. Soon, the hall was piled with mountains of documents.
A mountain of books, as if a clear wind were flipping pages, rustling loudly.
Chen Ping'an spread his divine consciousness, scanning the books, maps, and texts. Corresponding lines would appear on the "wall."
Those he had looked through, he had Rong Yu and Fu Qing return to their original places in the various capital offices.
So they carried books into the mountain quickly, and each volume left the mountain even faster.
Xie Gou felt her literary inspiration surging like a spring. She shook a page, gently blew on the ink, and grew more satisfied the more she looked. Truly a wonderful pen.
Rong Yu smiled without speaking. Was the National Teacher going to be busy again?
Xie Gou stretched and asked Rong Yu to lead her to the rear courtyard's main hall.
Rong Yu took her across the threshold.
A nearly nine-zhang-tall "book wall" displayed a huge map, colorful and vivid. The Great Li dynasty's national power and foundations were embodied most intuitively.
On that map: golden circles marked various prefectural garrisons like Han Prefecture's Wooden Fish Ravine, and military docks like Yellow Heaven Marsh.
Green depicted the main courses and branches of the Great River and waterways within Great Li. Earth-yellow showed mountain ranges—the old five sacred mountains of various kingdoms, their main pulses and branches—along with the household registers archived by the capital, companion capital, Revenue Ministry, Transmission Office, and various prefectures. Light cyan showed the official schools and academies of each prefecture, official roads with tens of thousands of post stations, hundreds of immortal sects, temples for landscape spirits enfeoffed by the Great Li court, civil and military temples, and city god temples at all levels.
The map was like the meridians, sinews, and bones of a human body, with qi and blood flowing.
To be precise, over a dozen maps were layered on top of each other with slight gaps.
The bottommost first layer was the Great Li territory geomancy map with white background and black characters. The second layer was the map of the old northern Bottle Gourd Continent. The third layer was a gold-colored map of Great Li military deployment. The fourth layer showed Great Li's "silver flow" and trade routes. The fifth and sixth layers were maps of old and new rivers...
Rong Yu and Fu Qing would get dizzy looking at it too long.
It seemed the better one's eyesight, the harder it was to focus.
Chen Ping'an led Xiao Mo quickly into the room.
Chen Ping'an closed his eyes for a moment, searched his memory, then extended a finger. Countless strands radiated out, blooming like flowers on the wall.
In an instant, half of the southern Bottle Gourd Continent geomancy was filled in.
Chen Ping'an then fiercely twisted his wrist, turning the huge map upside down.
Bai Jing squinted for a moment, then suddenly understood. No wonder Chen Ping'an wanted to be the Great Li national teacher, to sit in that vacant chair, to continue the profound influence of Cui Chan and Qi Jingchun on the Great Li dynasty and Bottle Gourd Continent. No wonder he said it was an exam paper and answer sheet of self-questioning and self-answering. Because he wanted to imprint himself on the territory map of the Great Li dynasty! This was a novel manifestation of the great dao!
Xiao Mo sighed with emotion, "This is true 'adding flowers to brocade.'"
Chen Ping'an's brows and eyes soared. He had drawn himself a picture of ascension and dao integration!