Chapter 1183: I Have a Sword for Parting Home

Chapter 1183: I Have a Sword for Parting Home

Snow fills the heavens and earth, I have a sword for leaving home.

Guarding this boundary marker was an easy, leisurely job. In the current Five Colors World, who would dare to provoke Ascension City actively? They would avoid it if possible.

Among them were a few youths whose appearance matched their cultivation age. They were all here for training, or more accurately, each had a bottleneck to break through. If they could ascend to the next level, they would have a spring breeze of ambition.

There was a saying on the Sword Qi Great Wall: "Those whose hair hasn't even grown yet have the biggest balls." This described these little brats "born on the Sword Qi Great Wall, raised in Ascension City." More and more young sword cultivators were coming here to join the excitement. About a dozen figures were either squatting or standing at the edge of the stele platform, talking and whispering among themselves. They had long recognized Chen Ping'an and Qi Tingji and began to teasingly discuss the Hidden Official with many nicknames.

"Second Shopkeeper, when are you going to invite us to your wedding feast with Ning Yao? I'll definitely rush to the tavern to support you, but I'll have to owe the gift money."

"Hidden Official, did you get even with Cao Ci yet? I have a brilliant plan—if you can't beat him in fist fighting, just secretly poke him with flying swords. Win first, face doesn't matter. I heard there's a no-bet gambling game over in Haoran World. Can I still place a bet now? I still have some spare cash. Hidden Official, help me bet that Cao Ci won't lose."

"Second Shopkeeper, I want to file a complaint in person. The dogs in Ascension City now are wild. We can't hit or scold them. Our masters and elders all stop us, telling us to be careful not to accidentally injure A Liang or the Second Shopkeeper."

"My master said that back in the day, he was a shill at the tavern for free and even sat as banker with you many times. You still owe him several 'Minor Heat' coins in dividends. Haven't repaid for years? Is that true or false?"

"With the Hidden Official's talent, you must have reached Ascension Realm, right? When will you merge with the Dao? That sword light earlier, could it be...? Is it or isn't it?"

"Hidden Official, my eldest uncle said you are exceptionally talented, elegant, and eloquent. It's all because of these that you get to eat fine food."

Chen Ping'an smiled warmly and beckoned them over. "If you've got the guts, come closer and talk." Just by looking at the faces of these little brats, he knew whose families they belonged to. With a quick glance at how a few young sword cultivators circulated their sword energy, he could tell which drunkard's disciples or direct heirs they were.

At present, the number of Upper Five Realm sword cultivators in Ascension City was still not large. Besides Chen Hui, the small character with the name "Yan Quan" who served as a death warrior beside Chen Ji, there was also the Executioner Qi Shou, a very busy man with an ever-improving reputation. Quan Gao Yehou lived in seclusion, counting his abacus and tallying accounts every day; rumor had it his face grew fouler by the day. Chief Supporter Deng Liang often used public office for private ends, visiting the Summer Retreat Palace. Once they were familiar with each other, they could take a joke, but they were still not as famous as the Second Shopkeeper. The moment he stood there, if they didn't tease and joke, others would feel they had drunk fake wine and lost money.

Five new Nascent Soul cultivators had appeared recently, two of them native sword cultivators. Three resident guest elders in Ascension City were former Haoran World Golden Core cultivators who broke through realms here.

Chen Ji and Qi Tingji were fairly familiar with Chen Ping'an's tavern and banker practices, but they hadn't expected that after so many years, he was still so... popular. And they tacitly acknowledged him as the Hidden Official. In fact, half of the young sword cultivators had never been to that tiny tavern back in the day. Was this what they called "a master's legacy"? A family heirloom passed down by word of mouth?

Chen Ji and Qi Tingji had both changed their identities. Now, at a time of both reunion and farewell, they chatted about more topics that they would never have discussed when meeting in their hometown. Back in the Sword Qi Great Wall, the three of them—Chen Ji, Qi Tingji, and Dong Sangang—all inscribing sword cultivators still alive, felt varying degrees of resentment toward the Old Sword Immortal, despite their reverence. Even Chen Xi, as a member of the Chen clan, was quite dissatisfied with their own patriarch, Chen Qingdu. Take just one thing: if other sword cultivators killed enough demons outside the city and accumulated enough battle merits, they could go to Hanging Mountain and thus leave the Sword Qi Great Wall, as if removed from the Haoran sect's genealogy, gaining personal freedom. Why was it that anyone surnamed Chen, any descendant of the Chen clan from Taixiang Street, absolutely could not do so?

In the world, affairs of romance gather and scatter; dust on the path has drifted for a long time.

Chen Ji asked telepathically, "Did you tell Chen Ping'an about those few secret Haoran sword veins that originated from the Sword Qi Great Wall?"

Since there were sword cultivators who quietly left Hanging Mountain for Haoran World, and this group of sword cultivators were inevitably strong in killing power, once they reached the various states of Haoran, according to the agreement, they were not allowed to establish sects there, nor were they allowed to reveal their identities as sword cultivators from the Sword Qi Great Wall. Otherwise, everything was permitted. After changing their names, they could open mountain and establish a sect, become founding patriarchs, take on disciples, and pass down a sword Dao lineage, thus spreading branches and leaves.

In a sense, this small group of sword cultivators was another kind of "private sword."

However, according to regulations, the Summer Retreat Palace would not file records of these sword cultivators' identities and backgrounds. They would all be removed from the rolls, leaving no written trace.

Only old sword immortals with long Dao ages like Chen Xi and Qi Tingji could rely on memory to remember them, and then piece together certain inconspicuous rumors and clues from various gazettes to know the inside story. But as time passed, those Dao lineages traceable to the Sword Qi Great Wall either changed their appearance after a few generations, no longer being pure sword Dao sects, or the founding patriarch's martial liberation and reincarnation took the secrets—never told even to Dao partners or direct disciples—out of the human world. Whether the sword cultivator felt guilt or regret before death, or missed the battlefield under the three moons, the city walls above the sea of clouds... it was all like a wine table, with people long gone and cups empty.

Under immortality, which grass does not yellow?

Qi Tingji laughed. "Not yet."

Chen Ji looked displeased. "Are you really that selfish?"

Qi Tingji countered, "And you aren't selfish? Then why isn't Chen Ji the city lord?"

Chen Ji was speechless.

Chen Ping'an intended to let them talk more, so he went over to the young sword cultivators and squatted down to chat.

A slightly older sword cultivator nudged the Second Shopkeeper with his elbow and asked telepathically, "Why did Qi Tingji come? What's the trouble? Don't bring a wolf into the house..."

Chen Ping'an immediately cut him off, laughing telepathically, "Old Sword Immortal Qi will soon become the city lord of Ascension City. Zhang Gong, you'd better speak more politely and watch your mouth."

The young sword cultivator was one of the sword cultivator leaders in the northern boundary marker area, basically the second-in-command. He had just broken through to the Golden Core realm. Back then, he couldn't get into the Summer Retreat Palace, so he switched to the Executioner's line, publicly declaring that he wanted to continue being a shill for the Second Shopkeeper, a loyal death warrior.

Zhang Gong asked doubtfully, "Aren't you the one becoming city lord?"

Chen Ping'an cursed, "Get the hell out of here."

Zhang Gong was deeply regretful. Actually, he didn't care much who became city lord; Qi Tingji was acceptable, at least an old-line Ascension Realm.

The sword cultivator habitually rubbed his crotch and said, "Second Shopkeeper, do you know any suitable beautiful women? Introduce me, put in a good word, be a matchmaker. Next time the gate opens, I'll go marry her. Actually, never mind, she doesn't need to be too pretty—I'm afraid of wearing a green hat [cuckold]. A good face and figure will do. It doesn't matter if she's a sword cultivator or not; her aptitude doesn't need to be too high either, lest she break into the Cavern Realm at a young age and keep a youthful appearance for decades, making me look like an old cow eating tender grass—not worth it. It's best if she's a bit older, with the appearance and figure of a thirty-year-old woman. Back at the tavern, you said..."

Chen Ping'an glared. "That's clearly Situ Jiyu's line. What does it have to do with me?!"

Zhang Gong shrugged uncomfortably. "What are you getting so worked up about? My mouth is famously tight; I won't spread it around."

Chen Ping'an clicked his tongue. "Really tight? You've joined the Executioner's line, and the only thing missing is 'Hidden Official Sword Cultivator' carved on your forehead."

Zhang Gong chuckled. "This is what you call 'soldiers have no constant tactics, false and true, true and false, ten drinkers nine are shills,' Second Shopkeeper. That's always been your personal teaching, right?"

Chen Ping'an put his hands in his sleeves and said gloatingly, "Stuck here on a cold bench? Qi Shou doesn't like you, so he's giving you a hard time?"

Zhang Gong shook his head. "Qi Shou isn't that petty. I came here on my own request. I wanted to personally experience what the books mean by 'the sky is high and the earth is vast.'"

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Indeed, in the past, the Sword Qi Great Wall had too many sword cultivators, the city walls too high, the territory too small."

Zhang Gong was silent for a moment, then said, "There's another reason. Now in Ascension City, there are too many rules, too many seats and titles. Back then, for instance, when talking about the Summer Retreat Palace, there was only the Hidden Official, Chen Ping'an, the rest were just the Hidden Official's sword cultivators. There was no distinction of high or low, no ranking. Now it's different: realm, salary, rank, territory, duties—all kinds of complicated and trivial details."

Chen Ping'an hesitated, then said, "That can't be helped. You really can't blame Qi Shou, the Executioner, for that."

Zhang Gong hummed in agreement and nodded. "If even the Second Shopkeeper says it can't be helped, then it really can't be helped."

Qi Tingji and Chen Ji seemed to have finished their conversation. Chen Ping'an stood up and said goodbye to those shill reserves, saying that when he got to Ascension City, he would definitely find their elders and masters to catch up properly. Those few young sword cultivators never expected the Second Shopkeeper to turn his face so quickly—faster than turning a page. One youth, who had already been able to put his arm around the Second Shopkeeper's shoulder and talk dirty, was frozen on the spot.

They went down the mountain together. At the moment of parting, Chen Ji smiled. "When I finish my travels, Chen Hui wants to go to Haoran World and establish a sect. Then I'll trouble the Hidden Official to help choose a location."

Chen Ping'an nodded in agreement.

Chen Ji smiled. "Old Sword Immortal Qi is good at hiding his talents and likes to keep secrets. Don't let him fool you, Hidden Official."

Chen Ping'an looked at Qi Tingji. The old sword immortal laughed. "It's about the lineages and sects passed down by three 'private swords' in Middle Earth Divine Continent and Flowing Xia Continent. I never intended to hide it; I was just going to surprise you when we got to the Dragon Elephant Sword Sect's Founders Hall. Not only is Chen Ji meddling like a dog catching mice, but he also wants to find a lousy excuse to throw sand in the gears, unable to stand us having a good relationship now that we've just become allies. Probably because he didn't become city lord, so he's in a bad mood."

Chen Ji twitched the corner of his mouth.

Chen Ping'an said, "For now, let's consider them all as superior sects. In the future, for any subordinate sect, Fallen Mountain will be the ancestor mountain, ancestral court, ancestor; Green Duckweed Sword Sect will be the superior sect; Dragon Elephant Sword Sect will be the orthodox sect."

Learning that Old Deaf Child had been driven by Zhi Ci to Fallen Mountain to become a resident elder, Chen Ji laughed. "Gantang, who's not very good at mediating fights, still worried about those two natal flying swords?"

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Bai Jing taught Old Deaf Child swordsmanship, but it's only a stopgap measure, not a cure."

Chen Ji didn't continue on this topic. Without office or duties, he felt light. He planned to first travel north, then circle east, and finally go south, all on foot, walking slowly. The youth, holding a walking staff, wearing straw sandals and carrying a book case, began his study tour of the world, only accompanied by his sword attendant, Chen Hui.

Qi Tingji teased, "Learning from Mountain Master Chen, are you?"

Chen Ping'an sighed helplessly. "Now that's what I call throwing sand."

Then they flew together toward Ascension City at the center of the world, where the vast white snowy landscape in the north gradually turned green and then yellow.

On the Haoran World side, after Grain in Ear came the Fifth of May, the day Liu Xianyang was having his wedding feast.

Chen Ping'an and Gu Can were naturally going to be best men. Ning Yao and Xie Gou were also going to be bridesmaids for Yu Qianyue.

Last time at the private training ground of Fulu Ridge, Liu Xianyang said if Xiao Mo could make it in time, he shouldn't stand idle either—he could be a best man too. At the Fourteenth Realm, wouldn't he have more presence than the two of them, little sect masters combined? Xie Gou of course applauded. Chen Ping'an then asked her when she and Xiao Mo were going to have their wedding. How about Mid-Autumn Festival this year? At that time, the sable-hatted girl feigned shyness, lowered her head, and murmured that it was a bit too fast. But her eyes sparkled, and she secretly wiped her mouth. Xiao Mo, haha, where can you run?!

But maybe Mountain Master Chen had a pang of conscience; he let Xie Gou and Xiao Mo figure it out themselves, pick an auspicious day.

Near a vassal city north of Ascension City, Xiao Mo and Xie Gou came to rendezvous. Seeing those two sword lights, Chen Ping'an stopped on a remote mountain ridge.

Since they couldn't use the Three Mountains Talismans, the travel-worn sable-hatted girl shook out a large pile of heads from her sleeve, dropping them to the ground. Among them were the head of a founding emperor at the Jade Pure Realm and a large number of heads of various divine lords.

Xie Gou grinned. "Mountain Master, two hundred and twenty heads. Guarantee no unjust deaths. Many of them deserved to die two or three times over."

Xiao Mo nodded. "They didn't just kill for pleasure themselves; they allowed their direct disciples to act wantonly. There was also a group of qi refiners practicing ghost Dao, deliberately refining living people into ghost soldiers, using extremely sinister methods. Besides that, many other methods were unheard of. The entire dynasty was in a foul state. If we had waited a few more years, the yin sha and resentment over there might have coagulated into some kind of strange creature."

Those methods, Xiao Mo was unwilling to elaborate on in front of his master and Qi Tingji. They were all methods that trampled and tormented mortals. For example, some cultivators liked to cut off feet, taking the embroidered shoes of the women along with them. Another cultivator led soldiers to trap a mansion within a city, cut off the water supply, seized food, and then demanded various sums of money from about a hundred people inside. If those inside wanted to leave intact, they each had to pay a fee for eyeballs, ears, limbs, even women's breasts. If they couldn't pay or couldn't stand the pain, they had to stay inside, commit suicide, or practice cannibalism. The cultivator and soldiers built a high platform outside the mansion, everyone elated, just watching the show.

On the way here, he and Xie Gou had been silent for a long time. Finally, Xie Gou broke the silence, saying that even ten thousand years ago, it wasn't like this. This made Xiao Mo even more depressed.

Xie Gou also didn't want to write those sights into her travel notes.

Earlier, Xie Gou had taken Xiao Mo to that dynasty, carefully inspecting each cultivator's heart lake, gathering intelligence and cross-referencing. As for striking with the sword, that was the simplest thing. A flash of sword light, tracing a line across various parts of the dynasty, and over two hundred heads fell. It was selecting those heads from the imperial palace, mansions, and training grounds that took her some time.

Chen Ping'an asked, "Since you killed them, why did you bother bringing so many heads here?"

Xie Gou exclaimed in surprise, "Ah, doesn't it say in the books that military officers often kill civilians to claim credit, indiscriminately slaying to receive rewards?"

Qi Tingji asked, "Why not send the remaining eighty-odd cultivators on their way as well?"

"I don't believe any so-called 'good people' would act as accomplices to evil. I don't expect them to rise up and demand justice for anyone. But if they can't stand to watch, couldn't they at least walk away?"

"Why keep them alive?"

Hearing this, Xie Gou rubbed her sable hat and roughly explained, "Half of those survivors are already secretly plotting rebellion. The other half only ever fought on the battlefield. They are indeed cowards, afraid to even fart. They couldn't bear to do evil in those small states' cities, afraid that too much involvement in the mortal world, too heavy a burden of killing sin, would hinder their Dao heart and cultivation advancement. Earlier, some cultivators, as Old Sword Immortal Qi said, wanted to leave, but the old emperor sent people to intercept and kill them on the road. Obviously, it's easy to get on a pirate ship, but if you want to get off, you have to pay with your life as the 'road toll.'"

At this point, Xie Gou kicked the head still wearing a crown with her toe. "Huh, this one right here. He had some skill. On the surface, he was a proper Daoist practicing thunder magic, but behind the scenes, he was a master of ghost Dao with military arts. He increased his power by killing; the battlefield was his training ground. Very convenient. The more people died, the more ghost soldiers under his command. So in just over ten years since coming to the Five Colors World, this bastard was showing signs of reaching the Immortal Realm. When that resentment energy fully manifests later, and he becomes each other's protector, isn't he heading straight for Ascension?"

Qi Tingji sneered. "A good plan. So it's safe to say he wasn't some rash, overreaching fool?"

Xie Gou tentatively suggested, "Hey, surnamed Qi, how about we take Xiao Mo and go sweep that place again?"

Qi Tingji thought for a moment. "Might as well treat it as a walk."

To thoroughly sift through that area again.

Since you have no laws and no heavens, I, Qi Tingji, will help you establish rules and teach you what the heavenly ordinances are, what the thunder pool is.

Give them a new year, a new atmosphere.

Xiao Mo clearly wanted to go along, but asked, "Young Master?"

Chen Ping'an smiled. "I'll wait for you at Ascension City. Try to get back to Haoran World before Grain in Ear."

Qi Tingji asked with a smile, "Mountain Master Chen, no additional instructions?"

Chen Ping'an chuckled. "A Fourteenth Realm, two Ascension Realms, traveling together. What, do you want me to tell you to be careful on the road and watch out for assassins?"

Xie Gou laughed heartily. Old Sword Immortal Qi was still shallow in his attempt at speaking oddly.

She was about to wave her sleeve and turn those heads to ash.

Qi Tingji said, "They still have some use. Bring them all back."

Xie Gou complied.

Once again they parted ways temporarily. Sword lights like rainbows, thunder roaring.

Xie Gou handed out two stacks of counterfeit Three Mountains Talismans and began teaching Old Sword Immortal Qi how to use them.

Otherwise, truly relying on sword flight to cross half a world would be exhausting.

A moment later, a sharp sword light suddenly split a sea of clouds beside them, arcing to join them, flying side by side.

Qi Tingji asked with a smile, "What's this?"

Chen Ping'an said, "Count me in. Lend a hand."

Xie Gou asked curiously, "Mountain Master, are you really not afraid we'll slaughter indiscriminately without restraint?"

Chen Ping'an said, "I'm afraid you'll kill too fast and too few, and with monotonous methods, there will be too many fish that slip through the net. You won't cut through a heart made of ghosts, won't give a clear bright world."

Qi Tingji asked, "Chen Ping'an?"

Chen Ping'an replied, "What?"

Qi Tingji smiled. "Let those who seek death die on the roads of the world, and those who want to live be able to live. Is that your true intention?"

Chen Ping'an said, "Those who attain the Dao and prove immortality should use their Dao heart to turn the axis of heaven and the pivot of earth."

Xiao Mo asked telepathically, "Doggy, what does that mean?"

Xie Gou replied seriously, "The Mountain Master is teaching Old Sword Immortal Qi the method for merging with the Dao."

Qi Tingji glanced at Chen Ping'an. Chen Ping'an glanced back. Whoever believed that was a fool.

After using up the stack of Three Mountains Talismans, they arrived at the dynasty's capital, where the malevolent energy coiled like a giant pitch-black serpent spitting venom. It was pouring rain. Qi Tingji stood high in the clouds and casually thrust out a sword, blasting it apart. The thick clouds split like opening a heavenly gate, and a dazzling golden pillar of light shone down on the capital. That filthy malevolent energy scattered like tens of thousands of venomous snakes fleeing, yielding to a pure white, frail qi-snake. Xiao Mo spread his sword light, slashing all the rolling black smoke and foul energy to nothing. In the great hall, those on the dragon throne, those acting as national protectors and true men, the newly appointed royal supporters, and the civil and military officials of the court— most were new faces.

The sky brightened, the rain stopped, and the weather cleared.

They saw four figures appear gracefully outside the hall's entrance. The one who looked oldest was a green-robed sword cultivator with a jade hairpin. The only woman was a sable-hatted girl with two reddened cheeks. The other two, looking like young men, were both handsome, with excellent appearances. They saw one of them step first over the hall's threshold. He introduced himself as Qi Tingji of Ascension City, just passing through.

The seemingly naive girl shook her sleeve, sending several heads tumbling into the hall. "We know our manners best. A gift upon meeting."

Qi Tingji stepped over the threshold, kicking aside a few blocking heads, and beckoned to the new emperor sitting on the dragon throne. "Don't sit so high. Come down and chat. I'm not used to looking up to talk to people."

Outside the door, the sunlight was infinitely bright.

Free reading.