Chapter 1185: In Life, Reading Words Like Meeting Face to Face

Chapter 1185: In Life, Reading Words Like Meeting Face to Face

Qi Tingji changed his appearance and idled about the imperial capital for a while. Then, using the Earth-Shrinking Technique, he went to the neighboring Immortal Minister Sect of that country. He restrained his sword intent, concealed his form, and walked through the scenic Daoist sanctuary nestled among green mountains and clear waters as if it were an uninhabited land.

The Immortal Minister Sect had set up a crude mountain-and-water formation around their ancestral mountain territory. The connected peaks stood like a row of halberds, each with its own cave dwelling opened up. Occasionally, glimmers of spiritual light flickered, and cultivators' wind-riding figures left trails of a few firefly-like streaks of light across the sky.

One solitary mountain rose up, its peak like a blue hair bun, graceful and erect as a green bamboo standing between heaven and earth. On the cliff face, snow-white stone markings hung down like a waterfall, or like a length of white silk suspended—a hundred zhang high, like mutton-fat jade. At the foot of the mountain, there was a rustic atmosphere of thatched huts gathered together and fields laid out in patches. Qi Tingji, walking among them, also followed Chen Ji's example of the scholar traveling with his book case. He temporarily fashioned a mountain walking staff. His features were already pure and refined, and this made him appear even more like a recluse among the mountains.

Within the Ning Residence in Feisheng City, Feng Yuanxiao instantly broke through three realms in succession: crossing the Dragon Gate, forming a Golden Core, and giving birth to a Nascent Soul.

Naturally, this was a "heavenly great" good thing.

First, it meant that their actions in the Jinzan Dynasty were deeds that conformed to the Great Dao of the Colorful World. In short, a few Sword Immortals, using their formidable strength to change customs and practices, had received the approval of the Heavenly Heart.

Second, the situation Chen Ping'an had most feared did not occur. Before coming to the Jinzan Dynasty, he had always worried about this direct disciple entrusted to Ning Yao by Huang Ting—that her future Great Dao might approach the Barren Wastes. He was especially afraid that Feng Yuanxiao might become even more extreme than the Barren Wastes, for example, with her Great Dao being chaos itself? Or even seeking unification? If so, then all ritual systems and rules would be enemies of the Great Dao. Then Chen Ping'an and Qi Tingji would not only fail to accumulate merits by "acting on behalf of Heaven," but might even incur Heaven's aversion.

After all, Feng Yuanxiao was the first child born in the Colorful World, and she also had the superficial identity of someone from Tongye Continent. As for how shattered Tongye Continent's mountains and rivers were, and what the state of people's hearts had been in recent years, Chen Ping'an knew best. Even if this Colorful World had first been discovered by Confucian sages, and later Master and Bai had contributed the merit of creating heaven and earth, what if Feng Yuanxiao's Great Dao compelled her to refuse to acknowledge this? What could the Confucian Temple do about it?

Third, Qi Tingji also had the private intention of using this to deduce and verify the Heavenly Heart. If the journey to the Jinzan Dynasty could indeed yield different results, with heaven and earth producing some "karmic resonance," it would cause Qi Tingji, as the City Lord, to make different choices and walk a different path toward unification with the Dao. Hence, Chen Ping'an had just let out a huge sigh of relief, his smile genuinely radiant, and Qi Tingji's knowing smile, with its glimmer of understanding, was equally genuine.

At least for now, Ning Yao and Feng Yuanxiao, who were mutually suppressing each other, had not yet gone their separate ways, nor had they shown signs of moving toward opposition to the Great Dao. Qi Tingji now had a clear picture in his mind and knew what to do. It seemed that his plan to spend sixty years traversing the mountains and rivers was not a spur-of-the-moment decision by the old Sword Immortal.

Finally, one must say that the Heavenly Heart is truly both awe-inspiring and fearsome—it cannot be deceived, nor can it be defied.

Earlier, in the capital county of the Tianyu Dynasty, Qi Tingji had seen the content of the long couplet among the crowd and had sincerely sighed, "Truly using a play to expound the Dharma." The stirring of the mind and the arising of thoughts—how could it be that "no coincidence, no story"? If you delve into it and deduce it, could it also be considered a prior reminder from the Heavenly Dao? "Reading words like meeting face to face?"

Chen Ping'an really was like a dog-head strategist, filling in the gaps: "Earlier, Qi Tingji was in a fit of temper, so his words weren't so refined."

Xiao Mo said with a relaxed smile, "This is nothing."

Xie Gou quietly offered a true insight: "Xiao Mo, you don't understand. This is called 'adding sand'—it seems like filling a gap, but it's actually exposing a weakness. The Mountain Lord, being constrained, is afraid that we might be attracted by the free and easy Old Sword Immortal Qi and be poached away. To have a trip to the Colorful World and lose two beloved generals for nothing—wouldn't that be a huge loss? Many characters in books who rise to be kings and hegemons appear rough and crude on the surface, but they are actually meticulous."

Chen Ping'an couldn't help but laugh.

Xiao Mo held back and held back, but finally couldn't restrain himself: "When I was by the Young Master's side, what kind of books did you read to become so learned?"

Xie Gou said with complete justification, "I read whatever came to hand. 'Opening a book is always beneficial.' The Grand Tutor's Mansion had a rich collection. Every day, using history as a mirror, the more I looked, the more beautiful I found myself."

When Ning Yao learned that Xie Gou had imitated the Three Mountains Talisman, she asked if there were any left over.

Xie Gou, hearing that the Mountain Lord's Lady also wanted to use the Three Mountains Talisman, felt honored and pulled out another stack of talismans from her sleeve to distribute.

Logically speaking, Ning Yao's flying sword speed should be far faster than using talismans.

Chen Ping'an was greatly surprised and couldn't help asking, "It's only been a few days, and you've drawn this many talismans?"

Xie Gou didn't even know how to answer such a question. In the Grand Tutor's Mansion, she was either writing books or drawing talismans—in short, writing furiously.

Chen Ping'an picked out a counterfeit talisman and carefully studied it for a moment. As sword qi and the talisman core interacted, the talisman paper in his hand instantly became useless, suddenly burning up with a clump of snow-white flames. He flicked his wrist, and golden lines containing sword intent suspended in the air, similar to bird-worm script. There were many intricacies; Xie Gou had clearly used nearly redundant stacked formation methods. Some compound patterns were like piling up earth to form a mountain, having the structure of a mountain range? Some cloud patterns were the veins of great rivers, but why did it seem that in several key places at the talisman feet, they were somewhat superfluous, like chicken ribs?

Chen Ping'an frowned slightly and voiced his doubt. Xie Gou sighed and explained a few more words: "Mountain Lord, ah, I could counterfeit this Three Mountains Talisman. I deliberately made it complicated and didn't give the simplest method. Naturally, it's because I'm also afraid that this talisman might become the kind that floods the streets. So I set many traps. But if someone really learns it and clears away some of the obstructions, being able to reduce complexity to simplicity, returning to the basics—that would be their fate to have that opportunity."

Xiao Mo said with a smile, "In ancient times, opportunities were hard to find and seeking the Dao was the hardest. Back then, such methods were equivalent to a single turning phrase—very common."

Chen Ping'an asked, "What are the restrictions on using this talisman?"

Xie Gou said casually, "If the talisman paper is good, the threshold for a cultivator to use it is low; if the talisman paper is poor, the opposite."

Chen Ping'an was certainly not satisfied with such a vague answer and pressed on, "Specifically, what is 'good' and 'low'?"

Xie Gou thought for a moment. "If the talisman paper is precious, similar to that kind of golden talisman paper the Mountain Lord used back then, then cultivators and martial artists, starting from Two Golden Core? Probably both can use it? For that ordinary yellow talisman paper you can buy in the markets, probably Jade Core realm cultivators or Mountain Summit level martial artists? I can't say for sure. As for what specific realm is needed to use it, and the distance of the earth-shrinking journey, Mountain Lord, you'll have to find a way to verify it yourself later."

Nowadays, Earth-Shrinking Talismans are everywhere in the market, so what's so special about them? Her imitation Three Mountains Talisman was completely unremarkable.

Ning Yao also glanced at the talisman, then infused it with a wisp of sword qi. In an instant, it broke through layer after layer of restrictions but did not shake the talisman's fundamental core.

Even Xie Gou, who favored her own Mountain Lord, had to admit that their Mountain Lord had indeed married above his station—he'd gotten the refined grain.

Chen Ping'an asked, "Can you draw an Earth-Shrinking Talisman with the lowest possible threshold, preferably no threshold at all?"

Xie Gou shook her head. "It's like people—each talisman has its own fate. To use a genuine Three Mountains Talisman, you need to consume merit and also light three sticks of incense, which is essentially communicating with Mr. Three Mountains and Nine Marquises. On the other hand, the Earth-Shrinking Talisman has a short range, like a bird flitting among branches—that's already the extreme of the talisman core."

Chen Ping'an nodded. That was reasonable. He asked via heart voice: "Something like the mountain boats of the Dali Dynasty—if it were possible to carve a huge Three Mountains Talisman onto the mountain body, could it be used on the battlefield in the Barren Wastes World?"

Xie Gou thought for a moment, roughly estimating. "It can be drawn, but such a talisman is a bit expensive. Even with the national strength of Dali, it could at most be used for light cavalry raids. To use it as a conventional method for shortening distances, making the Barren Wastes World seem smaller, definitely wouldn't work. It could only be used occasionally, or else Dali absolutely couldn't afford it. The larger the talisman, the larger the talisman, the consumption of spiritual qi is definitely not a simple addition."

Xie Gou said "the larger the talisman" twice, but with different meanings.

The Three Mountains Talisman was undoubtedly a great talisman in the cultivation world. And if you carved a literal "large talisman" onto a mountain boat, how much immortal money would one talisman consume? It was hard to estimate.

Chen Ping'an then planned to leave this headache to the Zhongtu Confucian Temple—just throw the idea over there.

Xie Gou coughed. The Mountain Lord's Lady was still here; it wasn't appropriate for the Mountain Lord to be wandering ten thousand miles in his thoughts, was it?

Chen Ping'an snapped back to reality. Together, they activated the Three Mountains Talisman, visualizing a high mountain. If the three mountains were on the same dragon vein, they could even save a bit of spiritual qi. One by one, they revealed their forms. This place had a charming mountain terrain, with winding streams and numerous overlapping waterfalls. Because its location was relatively close to the Jinzan Dynasty, it had already been opened up by an Immortal's Mansion as a sect-level Daoist sanctuary. A Daoist was nearby, refining pills with a furnace. Pines and cypresses had been transplanted here from elsewhere. There were natural beauties not forced by human hands; white clouds encircled the mountainside like a jade belt.

Xie Gou, whenever she had a chance, liked to show off her knowledge. She deliberately asked, "Mountain Lord, I guess this place is called Jade Belt Peak?" Chen Ping'an nodded. In the future, if there was a mountain gazetteer, it would most likely be named that way.

Xiao Mo suddenly said, "Old Sword Immortal Qi has a strong killing intent."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "Qi Tingji has been suffering in the Fly Rising Realm for a long time."

Xie Gou felt a pang of sympathy and glanced sideways at her own Mountain Lord. At least there was still an Immortal Realm cultivator to be the bottom.

Chen Ping'an said with a wry laugh, "Gouzi, how can you compare yourself to me?"

Xie Gou said aggrievedly, "There are only four of us. I can't very well compare realms with the Mountain Lord's Lady, can I?"

Holding the talisman to shrink the earth, between two mountains there was a huge lake. Even though Chen Ping'an was gazing at the vast lake scenery for the second time, he was still amazed by the creative power of heaven and earth.

Chen Ping'an sighed, "Neither the Haoran World nor the Barren Wastes World has a lake this big. I wonder how it compares to the Small Four Prefectures of the Qingming World in terms of water area."

Xie Gou tentatively asked, "Since it's currently unclaimed land, why don't I follow the Mountain Lord's Lady's example and pull a mountain range from the lake bottom, then erect a stone tablet with sword-carved characters reading 'Xie Gou's Fly Rising Ground'?"

Xiao Mo had a headache.

Unexpectedly, Chen Ping'an nodded. "Actually, you could set up several tablets in different places, such as 'Xie Gou's Golden Core Formation Dao Ground,' 'Mountain of Ascending to the Upper Five Realms,' 'Place of Achieving Immortality,' 'Fly Rising Ground.' That way, it would appear both authentic and impressive."

"However, the characters on the tablets must be artificially aged to give an ancient flavor. For example, characters carved at the Jade Core realm would have lighter sword intent due to the lower realm, but with strong killing intent—just having entered the Upper Five Realms, there would be a unique condescending spirit. At the Immortal realm, the momentum would be greater but would begin to be inwardly restrained. After Fly Rising, one could express oneself directly, releasing it all at once—both the boldness to swallow mountains and rivers, and the lonely, desolate feeling of not finding a kindred spirit for thousands of years. In this way, if some immortal master happened to see the tablet, they would certainly be deeply shocked and yearn for it. Although the inscription would be brief, it would be like reading the most brilliant and shortest biography of an immortal in the world. In the future, throughout the entire Colorful World, who wouldn't wonder who 'Xie Gou' really was? Who would dare to vie for territory or contend for a Dao ground with such an ancient Sword Immortal?"

Xie Gou said with heartfelt admiration, "Mountain Lord, to be honest, except for cultivation, when you think about anything else, your mind doesn't even need to take a turn."

This was only said because the Mountain Lord's Lady was present; otherwise, Xie Gou had plenty more thoughts to share.

Xiao Mo was about to scold her a bit, but saw Ning Yao squinting with a smile and nodding.

Xie Gou didn't hesitate and went to set up the tablet and carve the characters.

Chen Ping'an said, "Better to use a different name, or just make up a new Daoist title."

The marten-hatted girl thought for a moment, then decided against it. "Xie Gou" was just fine.

Suddenly, Xie Gou's eyes lit up. She thought of a good compromise. She shook a beautiful female ghost out of her sleeve—one who had decent aptitude but had gone astray. She asked the ghost's name, then decided to use that name to set up the tablet instead.

Xie Gou temporarily taught her a water-repelling Dao technique and took her down to the lake bottom, also teaching her a mountain-moving method.

Chen Ping'an let them fool around as they wished.

This was Xie Gou's first time in Feisheng City, and she found it full of novelty. The degree of bustling prosperity far exceeded her expectations.

Xie Gou tentatively asked, "Mountain Lord's Lady, can I buy a private Sword Immortal residence here?"

Ning Yao laughed. "As long as you're willing to spend your own money to build it."

As for money, Xie Gou didn't have a single Snow Flower Coin in her pocket, but she had a huge pile of talismans. She immediately pulled out two thick stacks of Three Mountains Talismans from her sleeve, waved them, and asked, "Is there any deep-pocketed fool in Feisheng City who would buy these? I can give a discount—fifty percent off!"

Chen Ping'an asked, "Even if the talisman paper is ordinary, it still consumes some mental energy and spiritual qi. You've drawn so many—is it really profitable?"

Xie Gou wore an expression of natural law: "Mountain Lord, you're not being a Baofuzhai—very inexperienced—when you say that. What am I drawing? Talismans? No—money! They're banknotes!"

In the Patriarch Hall of Feisheng City, an impromptu meeting was held. Those present included Criminal Officer Qi Shou, the second-in-command Nian Xin, Quanfu's Gao Yehou, and Chief Supplicant Deng Liang. Some were inside the city, others in nearby vassal cities or mountains, but they all managed to arrive quickly. At the Summer Retreat Palace, only Dong Bude, Luo Zhenyi, Chang Taiqing, and Fan Dache were present from the Hidden Officer lineage; the others, like Gu Jianlong and Wang Xinshui, were far away at the moment.

Seeing Chen Ping'an, they were not surprised.

Chen Ping'an went straight to the point, addressing the matter of Qi Tingji secretly becoming the City Lord. The Criminal Officer lineage certainly had no objections, and even Qi Shou had no reason to be unhappy.

Since Chen Ping'an had proposed it, the Hidden Officer lineage also went along with it without any dissent.

Overall, the native sword cultivators of Feisheng City would likely share the same mindset as Zhang Gong—at least it was an old-brand Sword Immortal.

Gao Yehou, the big accountant of Feisheng City, had no opinion. Whoever became City Lord was fine, as long as they didn't ask for money. If Qi Tingji could even supplement the treasury, that would be best.

Unfortunately, Gu Jianlong wasn't present today, or else he would probably have blurted out something like, "Won't Feisheng City be surnamed Qi from now on?"

Chen Ping'an gave a detailed account of the recent battle situation in the Haoran World and the Barren Wastes World, the individual Dao accomplishments of the peak cultivators in the Nine Continents of Haoran, and the rising chaos in the Qingming World.

During this time, sword cultivators would take turns slipping out to drink. If anyone stayed too long, they would be urged by someone's heart voice to hurry back so the next person could go out for some air.

It wasn't that they were deliberately disrespecting Chen Ping'an. For example, Fan Dache—widely considered the Hidden Officer's number one lackey—also slipped out to sneak a few drinks. In contrast, during previous Patriarch Hall meetings presided over by Ning Yao, few sword cultivators snuck out; at least those from the Hidden Officer lineage never left their seats.

After finishing the external situation, Chen Ping'an talked about the Tianyu Dynasty and the Jinzan Dynasty. The former would soon form an alliance with Feisheng City. He was only responsible for bridging the connection. As for whether to agree, Feisheng City would have to come to a definite answer. If they declined, they just needed to send a flying sword message to National Guardian True Yang Mumao. If they agreed, Emperor Ding Ding would personally come to Feisheng City. As for the latter, Emperor Zhang Fuzhi was willing to secretly accept a group of Feisheng City sword cultivators as supplicants. In return, the Jinzan Dynasty would send all sword cultivator seeds within its territory to Feisheng City for training.

Chen Ping'an suggested that the Criminal Officer, Hidden Officer, and Quanfu each send one person, without informing Zhang Fuzhi, to quietly enter the Jinzan Dynasty, without notifying their own sword cultivators in advance. Speaking of this, Chen Ping'an proposed that the Hidden Officer lineage could send the young sword cultivator in charge of the archives, named Huai Congzhi, out for practical experience.

Luo Zhenyi nodded. She had long felt that the young man would surely be fated to get along with him.

Chen Ping'an mentioned two matters.

First, that he was about to assume the position of Grand Tutor of Dali.

Second, that he had agreed with Qi Tingji for him to take over the Dragon Elephant Sword Sect. However, Qi Tingji would bring eighteen direct disciples with him into the Colorful World.

Qi Shou asked, "They can all be brought in?"

Chen Ping'an laughed. "I'll find a way. For example, see if I can negotiate with the Confucian Temple. The total number doesn't increase or decrease—I'll take out eighteen, and Qi Tingji will make up eighteen, something like that."

An old Nascent Soul cultivator named Shao was greatly shocked. "You can do that?"

Dong Bude laughed. "Let's talk first. At worst, it's asking for a high price and bargaining."

The old Nascent Soul nodded. In terms of business, Hidden Officer Chen was indeed a good hand, always willing to lose face.

Qi Shou tentatively asked, "If the Confucian Temple really agrees, who do you want to take away?"

Knowing Chen Ping'an's temperament, he definitely wouldn't touch Quanfu. So Qi Shou was afraid he might start with the Criminal Officer lineage, using the pretext of strengthening the Dragon Elephant Sword Sect. Even more, he feared Chen Ping'an might go all out, abusing his position for personal gain, and directly take a dozen sword cultivators from the Hidden Officer lineage at the Summer Retreat Palace back to the Haoran World, to the Dali Dynasty or into the Green Duckweed Sword Sect, under the guise of training abroad.

Chen Ping'an said, "You all can discuss it. It doesn't have to be native sword cultivators from our Feisheng City. To the north, Fuyao Continent; to the south, Tongye Continent—you can select suitable candidates and see if they're willing to return to their homeland. If there are Daoists from the east who want to go to the Haoran World, that's also possible. Just treat it as a backup plan. It's still uncertain whether the Confucian Temple will agree."

Qi Shou breathed a sigh of relief.

Everyone present knew that after the next gate opening, the Colorful World would be permanently closed. Only a handful of Fly Rising Realm grand cultivators would be able to enter and leave by their own means. That would be the second major test for Feisheng City.

Especially having just heard that half of the Qingming World had changed color. When the next gate opened, who knew how many Daoists and refugees would pour in? Unimaginable.

Nian Xin, who had been silent during the meeting, said, "Can I follow them back to the Haoran World?"

Since Qi Tingji was going to be City Lord, her continued presence in the Criminal Officer lineage to check Qi Shou would be meaningless.

Chen Ping'an laughed. "What does the Criminal Officer say?"

Qi Shou said, "Then let's reserve one spot for her."

Ning Yao mentioned that Xiao Mo had already achieved unification with the Dao and successfully entered the Fourteenth Realm. The sword light earlier had been Xiao Mo's doing.

She also briefly introduced Xie Gou, or rather the past deeds of the sword cultivator Bai Jing.

The marten-hatted girl sitting on the steps outside the door turned her head and grinned at those inside.

Xie Gou was in a good mood. She had sold quite a few talismans—cash on delivery, or if not, IOUs were acceptable.

An old Nascent Soul sword cultivator was studying the talisman repeatedly, making sure he wasn't being ripped off. After all, this was someone brought by Hidden Officer Chen—his business style was predictable.

Back on the Sword Qi Great Wall, Zhao Pu had never gone to the tavern for a drink, had never written a wish plaque, and had never bought a seal or fan from the Yan Family Shop, but he had been severely cheated a few times.

"I swear, if I ever bet again, I'll chop off my hands!" "I really don't believe that the house can win every time!" "Don't pretend with me—you're a shill from the tavern. It's fine if you don't admit it. By the way, do you have any insider info that's guaranteed to win? Winning big or small doesn't matter, but I can't keep losing every time, right? You do?" "Get lost! You'd even cheat your own brother? I've quit gambling! Swear on it first..."

The old man mistakenly thought that the young girl, who looked to be a Jade Core or something, was a genius sword cultivator from Bottle Gourd Continent in the Haoran World, a Jade Core realm or something like that.

Xie Gou whispered, "Old Zhao, I was being modest earlier. Let me give you the real deal: I'm actually the Second Seat Supplicant of the Fallen Mountain."

Zhao Pu gave her a thumbs up. It was unclear whether he was acknowledging her status as Second Seat Supplicant or praising the past deeds of the sword cultivator Bai Jing.

Actually, Xie Gou was still quite surprised. It seemed these sword cultivators took her demon race origin very lightly.

Xiao Mo was not as lively as Xie Gou. He simply rested his mountain walking staff horizontally on his lap and chatted with Fan Dache about sword forging matters.

Probably because Fan Dache had set a good example, soon a second sword cultivator came to ask for advice, hoping to try his luck. Xiao Mo treated them with sincerity.

Qi Shou had sharp eyes and knew quality goods. As the Criminal Officer, he even had the face to go out drinking and do business with the marten-hatted girl.

If his funds weren't so tight, Qi Shou would have bought up all those talismans whose paper quality and rank were severely mismatched.

Pu Yu and Ren Yi, the head and deputy city lords of Tuoyue City—one of Feisheng City's four vassal cities—sneaked out together.

Both were Golden Core realm. They sat on the steps drinking. They had been discussing Yuan Zaohua of the Summer Retreat Palace during the meeting and were still wondering how Chen Ping'an knew that Yuan Zaohua had broken through to the Sixth Realm as the "strongest," and that he was certain she was the strongest in several worlds at the time. Earlier, Feisheng City had already sensed something wrong; Yuan Zaohua's martial arts fortune from Heaven's gift far exceeded the previous two times.

In terms of realm and aptitude, Jiang Yun was undoubtedly the most talented pure martial artist in Feisheng City, with Yuan Zaohua and Xu Gong slightly inferior.

And Yuan Zaohua—formerly a tomboy and a child leader—was now a clean and pretty young woman.

The young martial artists of the Criminal Officer lineage all yearned for the Summer Retreat Palace—this was a well-known fact throughout Feisheng City.

On this matter, Criminal Officer Qi Shou, as well as Pu Yu and Ren Yi, all acknowledged it without any hard feelings.

Ren Yi asked softly, "Why don't you go to the Haoran World as well?"

Pu Yu had damaged his Dao foundation in battle and would find it extremely difficult to break through the Golden Core bottleneck in this lifetime.

Pu Yu took a sip of wine and laughed. "What, in a hurry to take off the 'deputy' character?"

Ren Yi said angrily, "I'm being serious."

Pu Yu shook his head. He had thought about it before, on the Sword Qi Great Wall, but now that desire had faded.

The meeting ended, and Chen Ping'an and the others went to the Ning Residence.

Along the way, some little kids approached, each with their own little schemes.

The man in the blue shirt was easy to identify and guess—walking side by side with Ning Yao on the street, who else could it be but the Second Shopkeeper of the tavern.

Some children asked directly if the Second Shopkeeper was still running gambling games and making dirty money, and that they had money and could follow him in betting, even acting as shills without a conscience. Others asked if the Yan Family Shop had new stock soon, as their elders were waiting; fans were excellent as tokens of love, not expensive and rare. Still others asked if the Hidden Officer was taking disciples, and as they asked, they demonstrated a set of wild punches. And some begged Chen Ping'an for a few seals, saying they wanted to give them as gifts to their teacher at the school so the teacher would strike them less hard next time.

Each time, the man would stop and chat with the children. Sometimes he would smile and say strange things they couldn't yet understand but which their sect elders or family elders certainly would. Sometimes he would say that the Yan Family Shop definitely had a batch of stock left, waiting for a high price. He said he wouldn't take that child as a disciple—it would be better for his father to come and acknowledge him as a master. The child, annoyed, ran off angrily, then turned back to take a look at Chen Ping'an before swaggering off. This made Chen Ping'an so angry that he kicked the child on the backside. He also promised a child that he would forge one that night and they could come to the Ning Residence gate to pick it up in the morning, but they had to bring all their pocket money—it had to be paid in full, goods and cash.

Xie Gou temporarily handed over all those female ghosts to Nian Xin to manage. A hundred beauties, in a mighty procession, silently followed behind Nian Xin.

This made quite a few drunkards and old bachelors on the roadside unable to take it all in. What was this? Did the Criminal Officer lineage need more hands? Even working as a servant would be fine?

Earlier, with Qi Shou's approval, Xie Gou had manifested an invisible path of sword light to clear the way for them, so that when they appeared, they wouldn't be instantly scattered by the city's Sword Qi. Having seen the light of day again, and having been granted several Dao techniques suitable for ghost cultivation by the strangely named female Sword Immortal, these poor women finally had a bit of joy at escaping their bitter sea after their initial shock. No longer were they the desolate, mournful figures of the great hall in the Jinzan Dynasty capital. Deep in their hearts, they were curious—was this the legendary Sword Qi Great Wall?

Those men slapping each other on the back, shouting drinking games—why were all the big taverns and small shops empty, and did they all prefer to squat by the roadside drinking?

Could they all be mortal commoners of the Sword Qi Great Wall? Was there a rule that only sword cultivators could enter taverns and shops to drink?

A group of disheveled men gathered by the roadside, drinking and whistling. Libertines—men were all the same everywhere.

A man with a youthful face raised his wine bowl. Somehow, he had gotten information and, in halting Tongye Continent elegant language, hurriedly announced his name and asked the young lady's name and whether she was married. Tsk, thick-skinned.

Among themselves, they whispered using heart voice. From the roadside, there were bursts of laughter one after another. They didn't understand the "official language" of Feisheng City, but as they walked, women being as sensitive as they were, they noticed two terms—whether they were titles or names—that were mentioned most often. As soon as they were spoken, they would incite rounds of mischievous laughter, or even a lewd smile. Even if there was no laughter, the expressions were always those of a cheaply pleased face.

Nian Xin, leading at the front, didn't explain to them what "Hidden Officer" and "Second Shopkeeper" meant.

Their temporary lodgings were in an area belonging to the Criminal Officer lineage—martial artists. In this place where the fist force of martial artists gathered, compared to other areas where sword cultivators clustered and sword qi flowed, it was still somewhat better. Moreover, the marten-hatted girl named Xie Gou had given them a talisman. When Nian Xin activated it, it turned into a palace. They filed in one by one, each finding a resting place to nourish their souls. Gradually, they appeared among pavilions and towers, leaning on beauty railings, looking down over the entire Feisheng City from a height. However, their vision was mostly obstructed by sword qi, hazy, and the scenes they saw were not very clear.

Gradually, some women began to understand. Those men drinking and playing finger-guessing games along the streets, even if they said drunken obscenities they couldn't understand, didn't seem to frighten them. Perhaps it was because they had become ghosts—different realms of existence. In those men, they seemed to feel a kind of vitality that was both warm and restrained.

Moreover, although they couldn't communicate in the same language, and their appearances and expressions varied, the depths of their eyes all seemed the same: people looking at people.

It was good.

They arrived at the Ning Residence.

Chen Ping'an habitually slowed his pace at the gate. Entering the main door, he passed the training ground and saw the girl who was now a Nascent Soul realm—she was actually walking on posts practicing her fist techniques.

Ning Yao took Xie Gou and the others to choose their lodgings. Chen Ping'an stayed behind alone.

Feng Yuanxiao mustered her courage and asked, "Hidden Officer, has my master returned to her hometown? Is she well?"

Chen Ping'an nodded with a smile. "All is well. Taiping Mountain has restored its lineage and incense. Your master has taken on a mountain guardian supplicant and a considerable number of guest elders. I also heard that your master recently left the sect to try her luck at an ancient Golden Immortal alchemy ruin. Word outside says there's a bottle of immortal elixir inside, and it's said to be able to make one ascend after taking it. I don't know whether it's true or not."

Feng Yuanxiao nodded, her brows relaxing. The young girl longed to visit Tongye Continent one day.

Chen Ping'an hesitated repeatedly, but in the end, he didn't say much more.

Feng Yuanxiao was too embarrassed to show off her fists in front of the young Hidden Officer, so she casually made an excuse and returned to her courtyard for breathing and refining qi.

Chen Ping'an also walked to his own residence familiarly. In the room that served as a study, there were some uncarved seal materials on the desk.

Ning Yao appeared at some point. She found Chen Ping'an concentrating, carving the bottom inscription of a seal: "Gulping Down Dates Without Chewing"? (Swallowing whole)

Then she picked up a few other seals with bottom inscriptions already carved and looked at them. "I Turn Pages Like Throwing Punches"? "Not Revenge Is Not A Gentleman"?

She was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help laughing. "Is it that important to get them to receive a beating at the school tomorrow?"

Xie Gou, whose cheek was pressed against the wall, was dragged away by Xiao Mo.

Chen Ping'an smiled and pointed to a few other seals. Ning Yao picked them up and looked at the bottom inscriptions. These were much better.

"Great Master." "Skill Beyond Calligraphy." "In the Sound of Reading Amid Apricot Blossoms and Misty Rain, Read Through Ten Thousand Volumes, Teach a Thousand People." "Teaching Today Is Reading Tomorrow's Book."

Free Reading.