Chapter 1186: What Does It Mean to Have Sword Immortals Like Clouds?

Chapter 1186: What Does It Mean to Have Sword Immortals Like Clouds?

Chen Ping'an glanced at the twilight scene outside the window. The clouds were spread out like fish scales, and the setting sun was like gold tracing.

When the sun finally set beyond the western mountains, taking the last remnants of its glow with it, the moon—like a lingering lover to the mortal world—would write that enchanting moonlight, akin to a love letter, upon the lonely mountains, in the bustling cities, on the wine tables and cups, and in the eyes of wandering sons far from home.

Ascension City's god of wealth, Gao Yehou, took the initiative to visit, inquiring about his younger sister's recent situation, and just casually discussing some matters of Spring Hall.

Ning Yao didn't like to get involved in such affairs, so she left the room. Gao Yehou was still worried about the next time he opened the door, in case Gao Youqing brought back some little brat from Northern Jùlú Prefecture—someone he'd find distasteful no matter how he looked at them. That would be a real catastrophe. So Gao Yehou insisted that Chen Ping'an must help him vet the suitor. If it really was that Chen Li, then fine, Gao Yehou would accept this brother-in-law.

Chen Ping'an only said he'd keep an eye on things, and also remarked that matters of love between men and women had no rhyme or reason. This one sentence made Gao Yehou directly ask him if there was any wine here, so they could have a little drink. Chen Ping'an retorted, "Hall Master Gao comes visiting and doesn't even bring a gift, yet has the nerve to ask for wine? Ha, do you think this is a tavern? You're Gao Youqing's own brother. I'm not Chen Li's real brother, so why should I bother being in-laws with you? If we really had a good relationship, why wouldn't your Spring Hall lineage have helped out the Summer Retreat more? Heaven's way is to reduce the surplus to make up for the deficit. Your Punishment Official lineage is all wealthy landlords—one cut of the knife draws no blood, it's all money. And look at our Hidden Official lineage..."

Just as the cursing Gao Yehou had barely left, Qi Shou came to the Ning residence. Chen Ping'an took this Punishment Official on a stroll through the training grounds. Qi Shou asked why his family's old ancestor hadn't followed them into Ascension City. Was there some particular reason, some taboo? Chen Ping'an said maybe Old Sword Immortal Qi thought Qi Shou was doing a mediocre job as Punishment Official.

Qi Shou felt stifled and muttered quietly, "Is that old rotten sesame and millet matter still not over with you?"

Back in the days of the Sword Qi Great Wall, the Qi family had very much wanted a marriage alliance with the Ning family. Among the younger generation, Qi Shou was indeed outstanding, along with Pang Yuanji and Chen Sanqiu—they were top-tier geniuses that emerged in those major years. Of course, the Qi clan's coveting of that small mountain of Dragon-Slaying Platform belonging to the Ning family was not a matter of just a year or two. They said that even with the most extravagant betrothal gifts, they'd still come out ahead, only because of rumors that that "small mountain" was Ning Yao's dowry. But everyone knew in their hearts, even setting aside the Ning family's "return gifts," what would it mean for a clan if someone could actually marry Ning Yao?

So when that outsider, a young man surnamed Chen from gods knew what backwater, swaggered over, came to the city wall, and turned out to be an insignificant martial artist, not even a sword cultivator—well, at that time, the entire Sword Qi Great Wall was stunned. Naturally, they all had to mutter in doubt. Who is this kid? Surname Chen? What connection does he have with the Great Sword Immortal?

Chen Ping'an changed the subject and asked, "Those talismans you bought from Xie Gou—what price?"

Qi Shou said, "With bulk, there's a discount. One piece of the Three Mountains Talisman costs me one Grain Rain Coin. I've saved up not much personal money over the years. I plan to borrow some more from my family and friends. I've already made an arrangement with Xie Gou that no matter how many Grain Rain Coins I can scrounge up, before she leaves Ascension City, we'll do another deal. I can issue an IOU. Xie Gou even said that you, as Mountain Lord, had done similar business with me before, so she wouldn't haggle with me."

Chen Ping'an's eyelids trembled slightly, but his expression remained normal. He put his hands in his sleeves and said while walking, "The price is still fair. Those talismans, combined with your two innate flying swords, are practically tailor-made for you. I imagine dealing with an immortal who isn't a sword cultivator would be more than enough."

Those most ordinary talisman papers—Xie Gou had bought them from street-side shops in the market districts of the Great Li capital city. For three taels of silver, you could get a huge stack. And that was what you called a real bulk discount.

Qi Shou said, "Thanks."

Chen Ping'an was rarely feeling a bit guilty. "Between you and me, don't stand on ceremony."

After thinking for a moment, Chen Ping'an said, "If I remember correctly, just based on the archives I've looked through, about twenty-something people in Ascension City currently need and can use this kind of talisman? Almost all of them are either serving or candidate sword cultivators of the Punishment Official lineage. Let's say thirty people. Later, when you do business with Xie Gou, have her give you sixty for free. Two per person: one for testing the effects, one for future battles. As for how to distribute them and when to hand them out, you decide. Anyway, you can use them as favors."

Qi Shou was slightly surprised and said, "I misjudged you earlier. I take back what I said."

Chen Ping'an nodded.

Fleecing Qi Shou of his money was his proper duty—if Chen Ping'an so much as frowned at it, it would mean he hadn't been the burden-sack shopkeeper for all those years. But as for Doggo fleecing him so ruthlessly, Chen Ping'an still felt a bit uneasy. Drawing talismans consumes a cultivator's spiritual energy as a matter of course, but for Xie Gou to draw each counterfeit Three Mountains Talisman, it certainly shouldn't cost even a Minor Heat Coin's worth of spiritual power. That said, Qi Shou wasn't a fool. If he was willing to pay one Grain Rain Coin for a talisman, naturally he was still getting a good deal. Over the years, Qi Shou had been extremely dedicated to the way of talismans, pursuing the combination of two or three talisman arrays with his flying sword's innate abilities to suddenly boost his killing power by one realm, killing enemies beyond their expectations.

After walking a few steps, Chen Ping'an suddenly caught on and said with a laugh of exasperation, "Punishment Official Qi, I'm being sincere with you, so you have to be honest with me. Has that Deng Liang been passing on any secrets to you?!"

Qi Shou chuckled and said, "I could never do something that would betray a friend."

Chen Ping'an gave a derisive "ha" and said, "Serves him right for not being able to compete with Chen Sanqiu."

Qi Shou asked, "Can you really lead out eighteen people?"

Chen Ping'an said, "We're waiting for word from the Confucian Temple. I think it's up in the air."

In reality, over at the Middle-earth Confucian Temple, word had already come from the two sages stationed at the celestial canopy.

This matter had been thrust into the middle of the established agenda, but it didn't take much time. A few words led to a resolution, and they quickly moved on to the next item. The general process was that a certain academy director surnamed Mao again spoke up first, saying that such a trivial matter, not even excessive, gave the Confucian Temple no reason to refuse.

The old scholar tugged at his beard and said it seemed improper. Chen Ping'an wasn't even a gentleman or worthy of the academies. Mao Xiaodong said that by the time he became the Grand Minister of the Great Li Dynasty and came to talk to them about it, his tone would probably be harsher. The implication was that the Confucian Temple hadn't given Chen Ping'an any title, and Mao Xiaodong was reminding them that the Untainted Land now had 1.7 million soldiers of the Great Li border army.

An old scholar surnamed Li couldn't be bothered to keep dancing around with the two of them. Eighteen sword cultivators into the Five-Colored World, eighteen out. Balance the books!

Qi Shou casually asked, "I ran into Gao Yehou on the way. He seemed in a bad mood?"

Chen Ping'an, with a worried expression, said, "Hall Master Gao said he wanted to join forces with the Hidden Official lineage to keep the Punishment Official lineage from being too arrogant. I didn't agree, saying that kind of thing was against the code of the martial world. Hall Master Gao was furious. He pounded the table and glared, called me a petty man not worth plotting with, and asked if I was just going to sit back and watch the whole of Ascension City become surnamed Qi when Old Sword Immortal Qi becomes City Lord. What else could I say?"

Qi Shou laughed heartily, not believing a word of this nonsense, but found it amusing to listen to.

Probably Chen Ping'an himself felt he had overdone the act, and sighed, "Brother Qi is not so easy to fool anymore these days."

Earlier, Gao Yehou had seen two spirit-nurturing gourds of excellent quality on the table, his eyes growing hot with desire. He held back again and again but couldn't resist eventually asking about the price and origin.

These were the top-grade spirit-nurturing gourds that Chen Ping'an had obtained from the Sword Character Chamber of the Great Li Secret Treasury: "Green City Mountain" and "Morning Truth Palace."

Chen Ping'an used this as a starting point to talk about his idea of helping the Great Li Dynasty and Ascension City do a mutually beneficial big business deal.

The first step, assuming the Confucian Temple agreed, was that part of the eighteen sword cultivators he took from Ascension City would become the new "private swords" of Ascension City. If before, the Sword Qi Great Wall had little care for private swords far from home, being so far away, then the first batch of Ascension City's private swords would have the entire Great Li Dynasty as their backing.

The Great Li Dynasty would grant them maximum convenience, such as giving each of them a spirit-nurturing gourd and a sum of immortal money.

This batch of private swords would disperse to various prefectures. Their current realms didn't need to be too high, but they had to have business acumen and nimble minds.

The second step: after they established their own sects, they would secretly form alliances with nearby righteous schools of Haoran like the Floating Lotus Sword Lake in Northern Jùlú Prefecture, the Rain Dragon Sect at sea, and the Celestial Ballad Township in Fúyáo Prefecture. The third step: to prepare for the future, to coordinate from within and without, to face together the great test of the next opening of the Five-Colored World.

Chen Ping'an stopped walking and said via heart-to-heart voice transmission, "Old Sword Immortal Qi is aiming for the fourteenth realm. Becoming city lord is just a new path for attempting to merge with the Dao. As for who the ultimate city lord will be, Qi Shou, you need to have a clear understanding yourself. As long as Ascension City can continue and expand its legacy, be it me or Zhang Gong, many of us don't really care what surname Ascension City takes. So by the same token, I hope that one day in the future, when it's time to choose the third city lord, Qi Shou will have that same magnanimity, and look back to this year, this day, this place, and how the two of us talked."

Qi Shou nodded and said, "Clear words!"

Chen Ping'an withdrew his hand from his sleeve, made a fist and shook it playfully, saying, "If it weren't for the fact that over these years, Brother Qi has been a Punishment Official who has worked tirelessly and is above reproach in everyone's eyes, giving people no room to find fault, see if I would have let you in the door today."

Qi Shou noticed something clenched in Chen Ping'an's hand, his eyes lit up, and he asked knowingly, "What's that?"

Chen Ping'an said, "A hand-held piece, used for focusing the mind."

It really wasn't that Chen Ping'an was deliberately holding out. This object was most suitable for calming the mind, restraining distracting thoughts, and could truly subdue the heart-monkey and the will-horse to a certain extent.

Qi Shou asked directly, "Will you sell it?"

Chen Ping'an said, "No."

A total of thirty-six fragments of colored glass.

During the division of spoils, Zheng Juzhong had picked the best, taking the largest piece. Wu Shuangjiang had chosen seven or eight medium-sized pieces.

The rest were left for Chen Ping'an, both in number and total weight, giving him the most.

Cultivators consumed immortal coins. Mountain and river spirits consumed the incense offerings of the mortal world. But the paths of cultivation for the two were as distinct as rivers and roads, each going its own way. Only when it came to the fragments of colored glass did everyone drool with desire.

Whether you were a successful cultivator with a pure golden body and a flawless Dao body, wanting to improve the distance your yin spirit could travel out of body, or the toughness of your yang spirit's external form, to see if it could support a higher and more condensed dharma form.

This object was a shortcut.

Qi Shou still wasn't willing to give up. "The price can be negotiated."

Chen Ping'an retracted his hand into his sleeve and said, "If you had one, I'd say the same thing."

After some more rambling chatter, in the twilight, he saw off the Punishment Official. Chen Ping'an stood at the door, and on a whim, decided to pay a visit to the tavern.

Earlier, with Ning Yao's permission, Xie Gou had been allowed into the study. Xiao Mo, worried, accompanied her. The room contained over six thousand volumes of books, almost no writing or scholarly paraphernalia, and no calligraphic plaque. There was a sword rack holding over a dozen old swords, most of them broken standard-issue longswords of the Sword Qi Great Wall, along with a few private swords of decent quality, presumably the relics of former Ning family sword cultivators.

Xie Gou was looking for a book to read. Xiao Mo was admiring a long landscape scroll on the wall, a typical immortal object. The scenery of the four seasons was clearly discernible within the scroll. At that moment, it seemed to be in plum-rain weather, with ink colors profuse, the sky dark, and rain pouring down. There was a small boat drifting with the current, floating freely, turning east and west, winding north and south. When the rain stopped and the sky cleared, along the way you could see, among the green mountains and waters, large swaths of bright red azaleas blooming, like a fiercely burning flame.

Literary men and refined scholars, unrolling a scroll at home, could experience the journey as if lying down and traveling.

Xie Gou raised a few books in her hand. "Xiao Mo, these Daoist scriptures published by the official bookshop of the Sword Qi Great Wall—are these what book collectors call 'solitary copies'? I've noticed that the vast majority of the books here are just decorations, as fresh as newly bought books. Only these shelves, about thirty-some books, have been read more. The edges of the paper are curling. They seem to have been compiled by the Sword Qi Great Wall specifically for cultivators below the fifth realm."

Xiao Mo was about to warn her not to be light-fingered or get any crooked ideas.

Ning Yao appeared in the corridor, came to the doorway, and explained with a smile: "This study was set up by my father when my mother was pregnant with me. He put a lot of thought into what kind of books I would read at what age, and how tall I would be at what age, so I could conveniently reach them. But when I actually learned to read, it turned out I wasn't a scholarly type at all. I absolutely couldn't sit still. The moment I got a chance, I would run outside. I'd rather learn boxing from Granny Bai than read."

Ning Yao entered the room, her expression gentle. She nodded towards a bookshelf near Xie Gou. "On that shelf, there are books similar to the elementary texts in Chen Ping'an's world. They were what my mother made me read and memorize when I was just learning characters. Reciting was actually easy. One day, annoyed by the nagging, I shut myself in, sat cross-legged on a chair, first memorized a dictionary, then used sword energy to fetch and flip through books, and read through every single one."

Just as many people nowadays, seeing the girl in the sable hat, found it hard to imagine her as the long-ago sword cultivator Bai Jing. They felt the two had nothing in common.

Xie Gou also found it hard to imagine Ning Yao's childhood. A little girl being urged by a woman every day to learn characters and recite? Sitting cross-legged on a chair in a huff, getting into a tiff with those books?

Ning Yao read books just by glancing at them. She didn't need to do more.

Not like Chen Ping'an. When he bought a book, he'd practically want to devour it whole, to digest it completely, making excerpts and carving them on bamboo slips, coming up with all sorts of reading methods, and proudly telling her what it meant to have a scholarly family—that the secret to scholarship was having techniques, that reading had family methods and family learning. Like, if the same name appeared in three or five books, you should follow the clues, which he called "going door to door to visit relatives." Or "killing in a poor alley," where the knife hits the throat—when reading certain books, you need a hard heart; when flipping through others, you need calm. Some books are for watching the spectacle, like seeing the sights of such-and-such mountains and rivers; one glance is enough. Other books are for understanding the nuances; you must enter the hall and the inner chamber, read the book and try to imagine the person, face them as if in a private study conversation, get used to pitting two books with conflicting historical political views or differing textual traditions against each other like a sparring match, to see which is higher and which is lower, to distinguish similarities and differences, to single out a thread, like the circulation of silver currency in the mundane world, tracing back through seventy or eighty books over several hundred years or a thousand years to study the complete picture of a particular matter...

Xie Gou grinned and said, "I heard that the Mountain Lord's wife had run away from home when she met our Mountain Lord?"

Ning Yao nodded. "I crossed the Hanging Sword Mountain, went first to the nearest Southern Bodhisattva Continent, traveled through the Middle-earth Divine Continent and Northern Jùlú Prefecture, then went to Vase Bottle Prefecture and entered the Pearl Bead Cave Heaven."

She pointed at the long scroll and smiled, "After looking at it for a long time, I naturally became curious about the customs and landscapes over in Haoran. When I was little, staring at the changing scenery on the scroll, the waxing and waning of the moon, the words 'how is that possible' would always pop into my head. After I made friends with Die Zhang and the others, we often came here to look at the scenery together."

Xie Gou asked cautiously, "At the entrance to that small town, one outside the gate, one inside the gate—that's where you fell in love at first sight with our Mountain Lord?"

Ning Yao blushed slightly and mumbled ambiguously, "Back then, he was skinny and dark. Who would give him a second look."

Xie Gou, indeed bold as a dog, pressed on relentlessly, "Since you two didn't fall in love at first sight, then why did you like him? When did it happen? There must be a reason, right? It's easy to understand why the Mountain Lord liked the Mountain Lord's wife—a bumpkin sees a pretty girl, can't take his eyes off her. But how the Mountain Lord's wife came to like the Mountain Lord—I just can't figure that out even if I rack my brains."

Xiao Mo deliberately put on a slightly furrowed brow, as if complaining about Xie Gou's bad timing, but in truth, he was also curious about this matter. If he weren't, he would have already spoken up to stop her.

Xie Gou lowered her voice, testing the waters. "Could it really be what these sword cultivators say—that our Mountain Lord is not to be judged by his appearance, that he was a smooth-talker from a young age, with plenty of tricks? 'A good girl can't resist a persistent suitor'?"

Ning Yao thought for a moment, then said with some embarrassment and annoyance, "I just don't have very good judgment."

---

At that moment, cooking smoke was rising spiraling throughout the city. The streets were lined with shops on both sides: cloth stores, general stores selling firewood, rice, oil, salt, and incense and candle shops. Of course, the most numerous were still the big and small taverns and restaurants. Children in split pants were called home in groups by the loud voices of their elders for dinner. Women sat sideways guarding their shops while nursing their babies. Kites in the sky were also pulled back down to the ground. Boys and girls of similar age strolled leisurely along the streets. A boy, fresh from learning something, tried to explain what 'cousins are three thousand miles apart, but clan relatives last five hundred years' meant. The girl squinted with a smile, it was unclear whether she was listening or not.

Over the years, people had gradually been drawn into Ascension City, until now there was a permanent population of nearly five hundred thousand. Without war—especially when everyone knew there would be no war—people's spirits were different, and the atmosphere of Ascension City became vastly different. Marriage and childbirth became the top priority, along with many new customs and habits.

When the city gates had first opened and refugees from Fúyáo and Jùlú prefectures had been welcomed, it was like tossing a couple of handfuls of pebbles into a pond for a vast territory like the Five-Colored World.

Today, half the members of Ascension City's Patriarch Hall were absent. The reason they didn't attend the meeting was that they had opened a northern route for escort services, and what they were escorting was people.

According to intelligence reports, to the east, several major sects like the White Jade Capital, the Year-End Palace, and the Black View Abbey had long been prepared to bring large numbers of mortals into their territories. They had already built a considerable number of cross-continent ferry boats, but the internal turmoil had delayed everything.

This brand new world brought a kind of unprecedented social scene: people were more valuable than immortal money.

Now, in Ascension City, there were many trades and professions that had never been seen on the Sword Qi Great Wall.

The faint ripples in the hearts of cultivators might occasionally catch glimpses of these adornments, but they were the daily livelihoods of ordinary mortals, three meals a day.

Ascension City began to build ancestral halls, compile family genealogies, prepare New Year goods, hold Lantern Festival events, set off hungry ghosts on Ghost Festival, and celebrate the Winter Solstice as if it were the New Year.

Chen Ping'an chose a relatively secluded route and saw a man sitting in front of his house drinking alone in melancholy. The house wasn't big, and the man was an acquaintance. "Yo," Chen Ping'an said, "the sun's gone down, and Sword Immortal He is still here basking like a turtle?"

The man, a mid-fith realm sword cultivator named He Shan, recognized the familiar voice and familiar content. He had been drinking until his nerves were numb, and quickly stood up, craning his neck with a shifting gaze, rubbing his hands together, and said, "The Second Shopkeeper is paying me a visit? Wow, I'm not worthy. Eh, why are you empty-handed?"

Chen Ping'an walked over with a grin and wrapped an arm around his neck. "Sword Immortal He, you have a good son. Anyone can see he's your own. Earlier at the stele site up north, I recognized him at a glance. He sure can talk, just like you. No wonder he's from the same sect as Gu Jianlong."

Think of A Liang—not exactly handsome as jade, but burly. If you asked how tall he was, when he jumped, he'd be about ten feet high.

And then that Hidden Official—a prodigy, boxing like a god. When a female martial artist cornered him in the street, guess what? One punch and she was down!

He Shan patted Chen Ping'an's arm on his shoulder and smiled, "Come inside and sit for a while. My wife's cooking is pretty good. How about an early late-night snack?"

Chen Ping'an released his grip and asked in a low voice, "What's going on? Did you fool around outside and get caught red-handed by the missus?"

He Shan rolled his eyes. "Don't talk nonsense. If my wife hears you, she'll really start getting suspicious. You know my looks, Second Shopkeeper. Back on the Sword Qi Great Wall, not many could beat me in looks—just a few like Wu Chengpei and Mi Xiuhua. That's why your sister-in-law has never been able to let her guard down all these years."

Chen Ping'an sat down on the steps, and He Shan followed suit, "taking a seat." Chen Ping'an handed him a flask of wine. He Shan took a gulp. "Good stuff!"

Actually, Chen Ping'an knew He Shan's temperament. His wife wasn't a cultivator. To a mid-fifth realm sword cultivator like He Shan, ten years passed in the blink of an eye. What was that? Even if another thirty or fifty years passed, He Shan would still look about the same. But his wife could fool herself, but the mirror couldn't. Back then, many native sword cultivators of the Sword Qi Great Wall, if their Dao partners weren't sword cultivators, faced a similar hurdle to cross.

He Shan asked curiously, "Second Shopkeeper, where do you learn all those strange sayings?"

He Shan rubbed his chin. "Are you just gifted, self-taught? Or is it from soaking it up, learning by analogy?"

Chen Ping'an asked, "Are you taking the imperial exams?"

He Shan looked confused. "What does that mean?"

Chen Ping'an couldn't be bothered to explain. He chatted with him for a bit and then took his leave, saying he'd save that late-night snack for another time.

He Shan returned to the house and went to the kitchen. His wife was busy with dinner. She caught the smell of wine and frowned slightly. Turning her head, she asked, "Who were you out there drinking horse piss with again?"

He Shan smiled. "The Second Shopkeeper happened to pass by. I said I'd quit drinking, but he insisted on treating me. No choice, I had to have a little."

The woman was surprised and couldn't help complaining a bit. She rubbed her hands together and was about to rush out, but He Shan stopped her. "The Second Shopkeeper left a long time ago."

The woman smoothed her hair at her temples and sighed. "Hidden Official Chen came to our doorstep. Why didn't you invite him in for a meal, let him drink his fill? Do you think I would have stopped you? We owe him such a huge debt of gratitude. Not only did we win that money from betting back then, but it saved us so much trouble getting our son into sword practice. And then at Martial Overlord City—what could you, a mere Guanhai realm, have done?"

He Shan laughed. "I have a lot of prestige over in Martial Overlord City. Our son doesn't tell you, but he's actually quite happy inside."

The woman shot him a look.

He Shan suppressed his smile and said, "It just so happened that the Second Shopkeeper passed by the north side earlier and saw our son. They even had a chat. So today, when we met, the Second Shopkeeper asked me straight off, 'Is he really your own? Doesn't look like you. Was your wife up to something when she was younger...' Listen to that! He made me so mad. If he thinks I'm going to invite him for a meal, no way!"

The woman couldn't help but smile. Before she knew it, her brow relaxed. "Seems like you weren't bragging. Hidden Official Chen really does have a good enough relationship with you to say such outrageous things. And you're no good, selling out the Hidden Official like that."

He Shan laughed heartily.

The custom of squatting by the roadside to drink, which had continued from the Sword Qi Great Wall all the way to present-day Ascension City, was entirely thanks to that tavern.

At first, the tavern's business was so good that the street was too small. Setting up too many tables would block the way. The lanes near the tavern required detours, otherwise people couldn't weave between the tables. Back then, Die Zhang had come to Chen Ping'an to discuss it. She felt they either needed to open another tavern or earn less money. Even if the waiting customers were patient, the ones already drinking would feel uncomfortable. Over time, both those with seats and those without would end up unhappy.

The Second Shopkeeper, holding his wine bowl, had stood at the door, swayed a couple of times, and casually thought up a solution.

Sit Jiyu of the Flowing Mist Continent and Liu Xu, the young master of the Mule River clan, were the first to squat by the roadside and drink. They started saying that the drinking culture in Haoran was no good—all that drinking was about realm, sect, surname, status, and silver. No real fun.

Gradually, even when there were empty seats at the tables, they preferred to squat by the roadside. The higher the realm of the native sword cultivators, the more they liked squatting by the roadside to drink. They left the benches and seats for the young hotheads, and of course for the female sword cultivators who came in groups.

When the tavern closed, the tables and stools outside, and the couplets on the wall, remained.

Chen Ping'an took out his key and opened the door. He leaned against the counter and looked at the "no-trouble" plaques on the wall.

The Big Shopkeeper Die Zhang hadn't shown her face for a long time. The acting shopkeeper Zheng Dafeng had also returned to Vase Bottle Prefecture. With so many affairs in Ascension City, everyone had their own clear duties. As long as you were a sword cultivator, you almost always had work to do. Naturally, the tavern's business wasn't what it used to be.

Moreover, in previous years, the sword cultivators who came here for a drink seemed to be pre-toasting a jug of wine called 'tomorrow.'

So their capacity for alcohol and their conduct while drinking had been very good.

Chen Ping'an took a wine bowl and went to sit at a table outside.

Sword cultivators of the Sword Qi Great Wall didn't have Daoist titles.

They only had names and realms.

It was as if 'names' were decided in a past life, and 'realms' were the results of this life's journey.

At most, they had nicknames. For example, Qi Tingji's 'Qi Sets Off,' Mi Yu's 'Mi Stops at the Waist.'

Or certain 'term of endearment' variations, like Dong San'geng's 'Little Dong,' Chen Ping'an's Second Shopkeeper, Lu Zhi's 'Beauty that Topples Kingdoms and Cities.'

Sword cultivators kept coming, using all sorts of excuses and pretexts, leaving their homes or vassal cities to hurry over here.

"Second Shopkeeper, kicked out again? Got a bit handsy, did you? No matter, I'll use only thirty percent of my skill today and drink you under the table."

"Second Shopkeeper, I've recently fallen for a very beautiful, very nice girl. I'm saving up for a wife fund. Set up the betting table—don't hold up my getting married!"

"Oh my, how rare! The Hidden Official himself is serving the customers. I always said that back then, I never should have left Ascension City. The tavern's business never picked up after I left... Hidden Official, about today's drinks, do me a favor and put it on the tab."

"Hey, you, Liu! Why does a Core Formation realm like you get to grab a table from me, a Dragon Gate realm? Go squat by the roadside and drink!"

---

It seemed this was Chen Ping'an's first time setting foot on the land of the Southern Bodhisattva Continent.

This was probably also Qi Tingji's last time participating in a Patriarch Hall meeting of the Dragon Elephant Sword Sect.

Chief Guest Elder Lu Zhi, Chief Guest Elder Mrs. Tuoyan, Shao Yunyan holding both the roles of Discipline Master and Treasury Keeper—

Wu Manyan, He Qiusheng, Huang Long—the three fellow disciples naturally walked together.

Among the Eighteen Sons of the Sword Qi, for now only these three were qualified to participate in Patriarch Hall meetings.

Shao Yunyan said via heart-to-heart voice transmission, smiling, "A rare guest! This time the Hidden Official visits our sect—what big business are you here to discuss? And what's the profit margin?"

Mrs. Tuoyan was looking forward to it. Doing business with the young Hidden Official was reassuring, a golden brand that never lost money.

Xie Gou lowered her head and grinned. Good question! Profit margin? And what about dividends?

Chen Ping'an looked a bit awkward and didn't know how to answer for a moment, so he had to be vague, "You'll know soon enough."

Ning Yao had just visited the Dragon Elephant Sword Sect not long ago. Lu Zhi said via heart-to-heart voice transmission, smiling, "My disciple, when she heard Chen Ping'an was coming, she found some clumsy excuse and hid away in the Profound Toad Blessed Land."

Ning Yao said, "There's no need to feel awkward when you meet. As for that Golden Liquor Dharma Robe I gave her last time, it needs—"

Lu Zhi asked doubtfully, "Is there something tricky about it?"

Ning Yao nodded. "Yes, but it's fine. He'll handle it."

Lu Zhi clicked her tongue in admiration.

Among that group of mostly private sword upper-fifth realm guest elders and honored guests, Ling Xun, of the Untainted Land demon race, a Jade Purity realm sword cultivator, had come here with her Dao partner Guo Du. And Mei Kuan's disciple Mei Dandang was also from the Untainted Land, but he was an Immortal realm.

They had already seen Ning Yao when she had just broken into the fourteenth realm atop the ruins of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

This was their first time seeing Chen Ping'an.

But they paid more attention to those two ancient Taoists with the 'Wan' generation name.

The girl in the sable hat, the young man holding a mountain-traveling staff—they were of demon race origin, but their hometowns weren't necessarily in the Untainted Land.

They entered the Patriarch Hall together. Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao, Xiao Mo and Xie Gou, sat aside for the time being.

Qi Tingji's opening remarks today were straightforward. "Everyone, my apologies. You don't have to wait until this meeting is over. Starting now, Qi Tingji is no longer the Sect Master of the Dragon Elephant Sword Sect."

"The successor is the Mountain Lord of Fallen Mountain, Chen Ping'an, our old Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall."

"Both the Dragon Elephant Sword Sect on Southern Bodhisattva Continent and the Green Duckweed Sword Sect on Parasol Leaf Continent will temporarily be considered subordinate sects of Fallen Mountain. Later, when another sect is created, Fallen Mountain as the ancestral court will elevate the Green Duckweed Sword Sect to the upper sect, and the Dragon Elephant Sword Sect will be the orthodox sect."

The hall fell silent; everyone exchanged glances in shock.

Qi Tingji stood up, picked up his chair, and walked over to Chen Ping'an's side, smiling. "If anyone has objections, you can bring them up directly to Mountain Lord Chen. From now on, I'll be sitting in."

Chen Ping'an had no choice but to move his chair to Qi Tingji's original position.

The portraits in the Patriarch Hall: Chen Qingdu, Dragon Lord, Guan Zhao.

In the future, two more portraits would be added: Qi Tingji and Chen Ping'an.

Unable to hold back any longer, Zhu Su was the first to speak. This female private sword cultivator laughed, "Well done, Qi Tingji, great Sect Master Qi! You sold us all out in one go? How much did you get for us? Do tell!"

Huang Ling took a big gulp of wine and clicked his tongue. "If I'd known, why would we bother acting like such ungrateful villains?"

Ever since that old boatman had scolded them one by one last time, their language had become much more refined.

Before, they had no concept of 'rhetoric.' They had heard some stories of Chen Ping'an's time in the Summer Retreat, but they never took them seriously. Only after experiencing Gu Qingkun's 'innate divine ability' did they realize that speaking was much like swordsmanship—some realms were high, others low, a world of difference.

Ling Xun and Mei Dandang, both from the Untainted Land, felt a natural affinity for Bai Jing, though they had never met her.

Someone said, "I heard that she only reached the fourteenth realm after joining Fallen Mountain. Is it really a place of such geomantic fortune that it can help one merge with the Dao?"

Bai Jing was Fallen Mountain's second-ranked honored guest elder.

Xie Gou, grinning, looked at Ling Xun and said via heart-to-heart voice transmission, "You could say you've gone wherever your husband takes you, like a chicken or a dog."

Ling Xun smiled but didn't say anything.

Xiao Mo immediately corrected, "That's called 'the husband sings and the wife follows.'"

Chen Ping'an didn't sit down right away. He stood in silence for a moment, then spoke with a smile. "I have one advantage: I know my own limits. So I'm very clear that the reason you haven't turned over the table on the spot or just walked out is because Ning Yao is here. The reason you've all come this far is simple: because of those four words, 'Sword Qi Great Wall.' Because you all cherish the past and are long of sentiment."

Shao Yunyan nodded at these words. That's called appealing to emotions.

Mrs. Tuoyan's feelings were complex. "Great. Through all those twists and turns, in the end, I'm still in the Hidden Official's hands?"

"Also, I brought two bodyguards. That was crucial."

"When I was young and walked the jianghu alone, I feared the heavens, feared the earth, feared ghosts and respected gods. But what I feared most was the word 'trouble.' I just took a trip to the southern part of the Five-Colored World. Besides Xiao Mo and Doggo, my own honored guests, I also had Old Sword Immortal Qi by my side. Such a lineup, such a show of force—to be honest, just thinking about it makes me want to laugh. I can't help but mutter to myself, 'You've come up in the world, Chen Ping'an.'"

Mrs. Tuoyan caught the implication. Appealing to reason, then.

"The Dragon Elephant Sword Sect was founded single-handedly by Qi Tingji. In a hundred years, a thousand years, that won't change. The sect history or the sect roster will clearly record that Qi Tingji is the founding patriarch, and Chen Ping'an is only the second generation sect master. I can give you my word right now: everything will continue as before for the Dragon Elephant Sword Sect. For at least sixty years, Fallen Mountain won't interfere in any of its affairs."

"I hope that even if you are dissatisfied now, you won't leave in a hurry. Watch for a few more years. Make your decision to stay or go later."

Even Mrs. Tuoyan was somewhat moved when she heard this. The young Hidden Official was really treating them with sincerity.

Gao Shuang and Huang Ling, two Immortal realm private sword cultivators from the Sword Qi Great Wall, exchanged a glance and nodded.

Qi Tingji stood up and extended a hand, signaling that the new sect master could take his seat.

Chen Ping'an sat down with a smile.

Qi Tingji said with a slight smile, "As a half-outsider who hasn't yet left the Patriarch Hall, I have a request."

"I implore all of you to follow Hidden Official Chen and make a trip to the Great Li capital in Vase Bottle Prefecture."

"Let the entire Haoran World see what the Sword Qi Great Wall really is. What it means to have sword immortals like clouds."

(Free reading.)