Chapter 1201: Also Surnamed Chen
Life is like a shared table at a meal, where people constantly come and go. Some eat well at the table, while some always suffer. Some are full but refuse to leave, some just watch hungrily, some don’t even have a stool and have to stand by the table with their bowl, some hold a big empty bowl and go hungry, some have a small bowl but keep getting it refilled. At this table, people make their grand entrances, deliver their opening remarks, recite their farewell poems; some eat until they’re stuffed, some starve to death, some get drunk and pass out, and some leave without a word.
Liang Shuang, together with Stinktree Daoist and the Daoist boy Huang Shang, left the residence. The courtyard, which had been lively before, was once again left with only Gao Mian and Liu Laocheng, the two old friends.
When drinking, having vulgar people at the same table is not the worst; the worst is always having outsiders.
Since there were no outsiders, Gao Mian opened the skylight and spoke plainly. “As long as you can achieve ascension quickly, nothing will be a problem. All issues will be resolved, and all hidden dangers will disappear by themselves. Chen Ping’an is the hidden official, and you are my old friend of many years. I’m not taking sides; I’m just stating facts. You have to be hard yourself to forge iron. If Liu Laocheng became an Ascension realm cultivator, both the Great Li dynasty and the Yugui Sect would have to show you some respect.”
Liu Laocheng almost blurted out a ‘goddammit’, took a big gulp of wine, and said resentfully, “Is it that I don’t want to ascend?”
Before the Jade Perfection realm, Liu Laocheng’s speed of breaking through realms wasn’t too fast, but each layer was solid enough. He actually entered the Upper Five Realms not many years ago, and becoming an Immortal was already fast enough.
Gao Mian laughed heartily. Weren’t good friends meant to be used for amusement and to relieve boredom? There were too many things in life that simply couldn’t be said or explained; perhaps that was what true boredom was.
Gao Mian wiped his face, reined in his laughter, looked up, and seemed to recall a place and some people. He muttered to himself, “I’m lower in realm than you, but I know best what ‘talent’ really is.”
“In the matter of cultivation, with good talent, climbing the mountain is fast. Very fast, so fast that by the time you’ve sprinted to the mountainside, you won’t have seen many familiar faces around; they’re all behind you, eating your dust.”
“As long as talent is good enough, the cultivation scenery from the mountainside upward is still the same. Only when you approach the summit do you gradually realize something is off. Around you are all strong enemies, every single one a stunningly brilliant figure. Only at this moment do you discover that your own talent seems to be a bit inadequate.”
Hearing this, Liu Laocheng spoke up, “In the final analysis, it’s still because our talent isn’t good enough. We’re not truly top-notch.”
Gao Mian said, “Stinktree Daoist is like that. Years and months piled up, stuck in the Jade Perfection realm, unable to break the bottleneck no matter what. Over time, he went from almost despair to utter despair. Native sword cultivators of the Sword Qi Great Wall all have an obsession with ‘Immortal’. Stinktree Daoist especially did. He just thought of making a trip to the Righteous Qi world. Without that suppression of the Great Dao from his homeland, wouldn’t his Dao body suddenly become lighter? Break the barriers, enter the Immortal realm? Once this thought arose, it was like a flood breaking a dam, impossible to stop. So the Sword Qi Great Wall lost one sword cultivator, and the Righteous Qi world gained a Stinktree Daoist.”
“There was once a friend from the foot of the mountain who started making porcelain at over forty years old. When he was young and planting rice seedlings, he could avoid getting any mud on his body. In his spare time during the busy farming season, whether there was something to do or not, he would sit on the ridge of the field and casually mold little animals, so lifelike they seemed real. By the time he was fifty, he was already the best in the trade…”
Gao Mian paused and gave a thumbs up. “That’s what true talent is.”
Liu Laocheng thought of someone then. A pity about Li Tuanjing.
Gao Mian said with a melancholy expression, “In the old days at Daoxuan Mountain, I swore to myself that once I reached the Immortal realm, I would return to my homeland and kill the demons. And now, so many years have passed, and I’m still a Jade Perfection cultivator deceiving myself with a pseudonym.”
Liu Laocheng said, “Heaven and earth are vast, but living is the biggest. Being afraid of death is understandable.”
Gao Mian raised his wine glass and said with an angry laugh, “Chatting with you is like drinking horse piss with you.”
Liu Laocheng’s current situation was very delicate. The upper sect had no solid backing, and Jiang Shangzhen had never considered him his own. Because the upper and lower sects were separated across two continents, Liu Laocheng’s Zhenjing Sect was like a vassal warlord in a separatist regime. Although the Zhenjing Sect was located within the territory of the Great Li dynasty, and recently a lake lord appointed by the court had been added, the sect’s “expansion of territory” in the mountains in recent years had been somewhat sluggish. But when it came to settling accounts, the upper sect couldn’t find any major fault with Liu Laocheng.
It was probably because Liu Laocheng’s background made it very difficult for the Yugui Sect to truly trust him. The wild cultivators under heaven were as numerous as hairs on an ox, but the wild cultivators of Shujian Lake were a resounding golden-lettered brand.
Moreover, Liu Laocheng was the top boss among the Shujian Lake wild cultivators.
The discussions in the Ancestral Hall of the Divine Inscription Peak of the Yugui Sect had a long tradition. Jiang Shangzhen had already run far away, so they had to find someone to curse at. Liu Laocheng became the “fill-in” person. Over the years, there had been many gossipy remarks. For example, those who had sat in the top seat of the Zhenjing Sect—Jiang Shangzhen, Wei Ying—had both been promoted to the top leader of the upper sect. Following this tradition, the next sect master of the Yugui Sect, could it be Liu Laocheng? There was even more insidious talk than this. After all, Liu Laocheng did have a few “new friends” in the Yugui Sect who could secretly tip him off.
Liu Laocheng was already the sect master of the lower sect. Going any higher, there were only a handful of seats to count. Could he be promoted to the founding law ancestor of the upper sect? Would the Yugui Sect still care about its reputation in the mountains?
Gao Mian put down his wine glass and said, “I’ll go browse the Liulichang market to see if I can buy a few decent books. I’ll leave tomorrow. Don’t worry about me. Feel free to find someone to drink or talk to.”
Liu Laocheng nodded. Suddenly he came to his senses, and at this moment he finally understood why Gao Mian had asked him to help find a place to stay in the Great Li capital.
Gao Mian was from the Sword Qi Great Wall. Chen Ping’an was the last hidden official. Chen Ping’an had gone to Cunzhuang Ford to find Gao Mian, and Gao Mian came to the Great Li capital to observe the ceremony. It appeared to be a matter of exchanging courtesies, but it wasn’t!
As for Shujian Lake and the new state teacher Chen Ping’an, it was a notch in his heart. For cultivators, the Nascent Soul realm most fears inner demons. For accomplished scholars, if the Ascension realm wants to go further, it fears a flaw in the Dao heart.
This meant that one day in the future, Chen Ping’an would definitely find the time to bring ‘the entire Shujian Lake’ to a close within his heart!
Gao Mian thought Liu Laocheng couldn’t escape, so he had to come here to talk to Chen Ping’an first, as if to tell the young sword immortal who was both the hidden official and the state teacher, Liu Laocheng is my friend.
This wasn’t Gao Mian’s style at all; it was completely contrary to his nature. But Gao Mian still came.
Similarly, when meeting the young hidden official, the private swordsmen who went south from the city wall headlands to the desolate barbarian lands, and those who crossed Daoxuan Mountain towards the Righteous Qi world, had completely different feelings.
Liu Laocheng finally couldn’t bring himself to say the word ‘thank you’. He took a fierce gulp of wine and swallowed it back down.
The gatekeeper maid, who had been repeatedly weighing that talisman to figure out how much it was worth, heard the knock on the copper door knocker again. She had to put the talisman back into her sleeve and hurried to open the door.
She was very puzzled. This was usually such a quiet residence. Strange, how was it that today had so many guests taking the initiative to visit? Even mortal New Year’s visits in the first month were probably like this.
Opening the door, there stood a middle-aged man with an exceptionally fine appearance, wearing a green gown, long robe, and cloth shoes. He made a bow and said, “My name is Zhou Shou, my Dao name is Flower Protector. I am a mountain and marsh wild cultivator. In the past, I received care from Gongliu Island in Shujian Lake, so I have come specially to pay my respects to Old Immortal Liu and Old Gang Leader Gao. I trouble you, young lady, to announce me.”
Jiang Shangzhen loved excitement. He followed Xiao Mo back to the capital the same way he had come.
Jiang Shangzhen muttered to himself, “So this is how business is done. An eye-opener.”
She was stunned. It was the first time she had heard someone claim to be a wild cultivator from Shujian Lake. In the past, about twenty or thirty years ago, if she, a proper genealogy cultivator from an orthodox immortal estate, met someone known to have come from Shujian Lake on the road, she wouldn’t hesitate: stab him to death with a knife, smash him to death with a hidden technique; just be assured, she wouldn’t be wronging a good man.
But nowadays, Shujian Lake had all sorts of characters, except for wild cultivators. So the maid suppressed the disgust in her heart and led him into the residence. She frowned slightly, then turned her head to look. That elegant and thin man was looking left and right with curiosity, like a village woman entering a famous garden on a trip to the city. Had she misjudged him?
She turned her head back, only to see Liu Laocheng standing not far away. She quickly collected herself and was about to speak when Liu Laocheng waved his hand, indicating that she was no longer needed there.
The maid left slowly, returning to the gatehouse to continue studying that talisman.
Jiang Shangzhen transformed, clasping his hands behind his back as he strolled through the residence. Liu Laocheng followed him like a lackey. Jiang Shangzhen said, “Oho, using public funds for private gain, spending the sect’s money to keep a mistress hidden away, huh? If the great sword immortal Wei Ying found out, that would be quite something.”
Liu Laocheng smiled faintly, neither taking it seriously nor responding.
He had already thought that Chen Ping’an would clean up Shujian Lake, but he hadn’t expected it to come so soon. Was he going to use Liu Laocheng to kill the chicken and scare the monkeys?
That was right. If he could take Liu Laocheng’s head and throw it into Shujian Lake, and then add Liu Zhimao’s head to keep it company, what couldn’t be turned over?
But to have Jiang Shangzhen, the former sect master of the Zhenjing Sect, kill the current sect master, wasn’t that excessively cruel?
The murderous intent in Liu Laocheng’s heart surged like giant waves, but after all, he was at the Immortal realm, so he concealed it flawlessly.
When he saw Gao Mian, who was too lazy to stand up to greet him, Jiang Shangzhen clasped his hands together and shook them, his face beaming with a bright smile. “Better to meet than to hear of fame. Truly worthy of the reputation of Gang Leader Gao, who ‘unifies his Dao’ with his chair and stool. Not just famous, but genuine.”
Gao Mian remained seated, looking askance at this notoriously dissolute character. In the eastern three continents of the Righteous Qi world, Jiang Shangzhen’s reputation was only slightly better in Baoping Continent, and that was thanks to the Fallen Mountain Association.
Before sitting down, Jiang Shangzhen said with a sincere expression, “You all misunderstand me. Actually, I am a person with a very warm heart.”
Gao Mian was startled for a moment, then couldn’t help cursing, “Truly fucking disgusting.”
Liu Laocheng didn’t dare to agree with a single word.
Liu Laocheng was well aware of Jiang Shangzhen’s actions in the Zhenjing Sect. How had that person who defected from the Tongye Sect to the Zhenjing Sect died? Liu Laocheng was an accomplice.
Jiang Shangzhen smiled faintly. “My greatest skill in life is not to let others struggle.”
If you have a bad impression of me, then when you see me, you’ll think it’s ‘true to reputation’. That way, there’s no need to mind the Upper Five Realms or the old sect master.
Gao Mian nodded. This guy still had some skill.
Jiang Shangzhen before becoming the head of the Yugui Sect, and Jiang Shangzhen after serving as the Yugui Sect master, were two different people.
If Liu Laocheng hadn’t just figured out Gao Mian’s intentions, he would have assumed that Jiang Shangzhen was here for Gao Mian. The identities of Gao Mian and Stinktree Daoist had been revealed. If Jiang Shangzhen came here as the chief offering priest of Fallen Mountain to help Chen Ping’an “renew old acquaintance,” that would have been understandable. Now, Liu Laocheng was thinking about how to get Gao Mian away from this trouble.
Jiang Shangzhen dismissed Gao Mian with a single sentence: “Old gang leader, could I borrow this place for a moment? I need to discuss some sect affairs with Sect Master Liu. It involves privacy, so it’s not good to have outsiders present. Forgive me.”
Gao Mian stood up. “Go ahead, chat.”
Old veterans of the underworld all respected the rules. Whether they were stubborn or pedantic, they were willing to hold on to that little plot of land called ‘jianghu righteousness’.
After Gao Mian left the courtyard, Jiang Shangzhen said with a chuckle, “Brother Liu, don’t be nervous. What, are you afraid I’ll suddenly kill you? I’m no longer the upper sect master now. If I casually killed a lower sect master, wouldn’t the Divine Inscription Peak Ancestral Hall twist my head off and use it for a piss pot? Do I still want my Yunku Cave Heaven? Do I still want my genealogy status?”
Liu Laocheng remained silent, his nerves taut. He was indeed worried that Jiang Shangzhen would suddenly turn hostile, but at the same time, he breathed a sigh of relief that Gao Mian hadn’t stayed. He also clung to the hope that Jiang Shangzhen’s visit had nothing to do with Chen Ping’an.
But then, what serious business could Jiang Shangzhen have to discuss with him? In the early years at Shujian Lake, they rarely met.
Could it be? The old sect master of the Yugui Sect, Jiang Shangzhen, wanted to rebel against Wei Ying? That would be like the emperor father wanting to sit back on the dragon throne!
If that were the case, Liu Laocheng would actually become interested. If not, they each flee for their lives. If it succeeded, they would divide the spoils. Jiang Shangzhen would own the Yugui Sect, and the Zhenjing Sect would belong to Liu Laocheng!
This was probably what a true wild cultivator was like.
Jiang Shangzhen smiled. “I’m not like you, alone and without attachments. So many people in Yunku Cave Heaven rely on me to make money to feed them. They just want a stable life and aren’t willing to risk their necks for wealth. Sorry to disappoint Immortal Liu.”
Liu Laocheng rubbed his chin. “What a pity.”
There was no need to be hypocritical with Jiang Shangzhen.
Jiang Shangzhen said with a sly smile, “Brother Liu, I’m thinking about gritting my teeth and changing my surname and name. Why don’t you learn from me, invest some capital, turn over a new leaf, and get a new identity to play with?”
Liu Laocheng wasn’t stupid. Hearing this, his mind raced, but he was still puzzled, so he had to ask, “What do you mean?”
Jiang Shangzhen shook the green gown and long robe, crossed his legs, and said, “From now on, Yunku Cave Heaven won’t be surnamed Jiang. It will be surnamed Wei. But the Jiang children will still be able to lie back and collect money every day, taking dividends.”
Liu Laocheng was still confused. “What are you seeking?”
Jiang Shangzhen said, “In exchange, the Zhenjing Sect in Shujian Lake will henceforth be surnamed Jiang. Of course, the sect name might be changed.”
Liu Laocheng’s expression remained calm, but he no longer spoke.
Jiang Shangzhen said, “If I’m not mistaken, you’ll soon be kicked out of the Zhenjing Sect. If you want a nicer way to put it, it’s ‘a tree dies when moved, a man lives when moved’. If this place won’t keep you, go where you will be kept.”
The Zhenjing Sect had tolerated Liu Laocheng in the past, but Shujian Lake would have no place for him to stand in the future.
Liu Laocheng stared straight at Jiang Shangzhen and asked directly, “May I ask Chief Offering Priest Zhou, where do you plan to send me to nest?”
After all this roundabout talk, was it to make me, Liu Laocheng, lose my genealogy status in the Zhenjing Sect? Or make me resign voluntarily? Would the Yugui Sect try to keep me?
Jiang Shangzhen said, “Believe me, I’m not trying to scare you. For Liu Laocheng to stay in Shujian Lake is a path to a dead end. It’s either physical destruction or death of the Dao heart. Immortals are easy to obtain, but ascension is hard to seek.”
Liu Laocheng said indifferently, “What a coincidence. I wasn’t brought up being scared either.”
The implication was that he didn’t care how Jiang Shangzhen arranged an escape route or where he planned to move him. Did they take him for a three-year-old child? Trying to fool ghosts here.
Jiang Shangzhen sighed with a look of regret. “Hard to talk.”
A head popped up over the wall, laughing. “Failing, failing.”
A white-clothed boy with a red mole between his eyebrows vaulted over the wall, executed a kestrel flip, landed gracefully, spread his hands, and swayed his body. “Steady!”
Jiang Shangzhen faced the boy, raised a palm, and shook it near his own neck.
The meaning was clear: since they couldn’t reach an agreement, they’d just kill him.
The boy looked confused, as if he couldn’t figure it out. “May I ask, Perfect Lord Failure, what exactly does that mean? I’m a good and kind person, and I can’t understand.”
A pair of live-wire Immortal realm cultivators, one a sword cultivator who had killed demons under the noses of the throned great demons, the other apparently a treasure boy.
Liu Laocheng sat in place, twirling his wine glass between two fingers, spinning it gently. The wine inside rippled in circles, like a whirlpool forming in the center of a lake.
He had never been willing to do a losing deal in his life. He naturally had some trump cards. If it was an inescapable situation of certain death, he would always drag someone down with him.
Very well. The battlefield was in the Great Li capital. The state teacher’s celebration had just ended. It was not yet noon today, so the day was far from over.
Jiang Shangzhen and Cui Dongshan were certainly not ordinary Immortal realm cultivators. In fact, it could be said that they were among the best of the Immortals in the entire world. In terms of intellect, cultivation, and backup plans, they were all at the top.
But was I, Liu Laocheng, the soft persimmon among the Immortal realm?
On top of the wall, a cold-faced boy appeared out of thin air. It was Liu Tui’s Yang Spirit external incarnation. Appearing silently, truly worthy of the Ascension realm, with the aura of Dao united with heaven and earth.
Liu Tui was high in realm, but his speech was rough, a mixture of meanness and ruthlessness. “We agreed, I do the killing, and you two must be responsible for cleaning up the mess. It’s best if it doesn’t implicate Tianyao Township. I don’t want to follow Yang Qiangu’s example and end up eating prison food at the Confucian Temple. Liu Laocheng of Shujian Lake is a tough nut. You two fellow Daoists keep watch. If any news leaks, it has nothing to do with Liu Tui, not even half a copper coin.”
Cui Dongshan tapped his toe and floated over to stand on top of the fish tank, clapping his hands in praise. “Quick and clean in both words and deeds. Indeed, it takes a wild cultivator to deal with a wild cultivator.”
“One Ascension realm and two Immortals.”
Liu Laocheng sneered. “Not beneath my dignity.”
Liu Tui looked down at Liu Laocheng and laughed. “Old man, I hate the kind of people whose mouths are hard but their hands are soft. If I see one, I have to deal with them. Good, very good. Remember, don’t shrink your balls when the time comes!”
As for why Chen Ping’an didn’t have Xiao Mo or Bai Jing personally kill Liu Laocheng, and as for Chen Ping’an’s past with Shujian Lake, Liu Tui couldn’t care less. If you want to pay respects to the leader, don’t you have to submit a letter of allegiance?
Cui Dongshan gave a thumbs up. “Sect Master Liu speaks tough. Never backed down to anyone in his life.”
Not far away was the Flower God Temple. First, the flower gods gathered, then strange phenomena occurred. Jiang Shangzhen sighed, “Our mountain master is still as compassionate towards the fairer sex as ever.”
Over there, the flowers were enchanting; over here, swords were drawn and bows were strung, separated by only a few walls. That was the difference between life and death. Indeed, the joys and sorrows of the world do not connect.
Gao Mian actually turned back and came back. He looked at the scene inside the courtyard and said the bottom line, “Consider it a convenient killing of a Golden Core cultivator. Don’t mind dirtying your hands, everyone.”
Now just a Golden Core realm cultivator, Gao Mian hadn’t heard a word of the conversation. But the eyes and experience of an old veteran of the underworld were still there.
Cui Dongshan reached out and rubbed his brow, laughing. “How dare I. I am my master’s proud student, and my master is a fellow countryman from your Sword Qi Great Wall. Even if Old Gang Leader Gao were a Golden Core, or even a useless waste with no cultivation at all, standing in front of Liu Laocheng, rooted to the spot with his neck stretched out for me to kill, I absolutely could not do it.”
Jiang Shangzhen laughed. “This cup of wine for friendship is full, but unfortunately, the hometown is an empty bowl. Ho, isn’t this what the books call ‘The flowers inside the wall bloom less fragrantly than those outside the wall’?”
Cui Dongshan sighed and said reproachfully, “Those words hurt.”
Liu Tui looked down from on high and sneered, “So that’s how it is. No wonder the Hidden Official Chen had to make an extra trip to Cunzhuang Ford. It was to see a fellow countryman.”
Gao Mian’s expression darkened. He didn’t refute it. The old man didn’t have the face to refute it.
Liu Laocheng, without a word, directly flicked his sleeve and sent Gao Mian flying back to his original position. The latter fell unconscious on the spot, his form wrapped in a gust of wind and blown to the front courtyard near the gatehouse, sitting on the steps like a drunkard vaguely watching the shadows of flowers.
Then he tapped the wine glass lightly on the table. The wine in the cup was completely emptied, but on Gao Mian’s side, a formation formed to protect this old Golden Core cultivator.
The upcoming fight would be a life-or-death battle, fists and feet blind, spells and techniques merciless. He couldn’t let an old friend lose another realm.
Liu Tui communicated with his mind: “Sect Master Cui, Chief Offering Priest Zhou, is this guy putting on a show, or is this his true nature?”
Jiang Shangzhen answered with a smile, “Liu Laocheng doesn’t have many friends. Gao Mian can count as one. It’s not an act for our benefit.”
Liu Tui nodded. “Then I’ll give him a quick death.”
Cui Dongshan complained, “With you two fooling around like this, we really look like villains.”
Liu Tui had to admit that being with Chen Ping’an was very stressful. But staying with these two was extremely easy.
Cui Dongshan clapped his hands vigorously. Whether it was to signal Liu Tui to strike, or to urge Liu Laocheng to get on his way, no one knew. He shouted, “Time to work!”
To survive in Shujian Lake, regardless of a wild cultivator’s realm or sect lineage, it was unacceptable not to have a couple of unique water technique skills.
For example, one of Liu Zhimao’s foundational Great Dao texts, the “River-Chopping True Scripture,” he had been cultivating in seclusion at Qingxia Island many times. Sometimes Liu Laocheng got anxious for him and wanted to show up and offer a few pointers.
The goldfish in the fish tank beneath Cui Dongshan’s feet suddenly leaped out of the water. In an instant, illusions filled heaven and earth. Cui Dongshan’s sleeves hung downward as he looked around. It was a small world.
Within this realm, those goldfish, originally the length of a finger, appeared like giant creatures capable of carrying mountains and crossing seas. Their barbels swayed, trailing streams of golden light.
Jiang Shangzhen was also within the illusion. The lake water was like a mirror. Where Jiang Shangzhen’s feet touched the mirror-like surface, ripples spread outward. At the peaks of four distant islands, four green talismans hovered. Could these be some offshoot of Yu Xuan’s Sword-Locking Talisman? Given the background of early Baoping Continent cultivators, especially the wild cultivators of Shujian Lake, they couldn’t afford such rare and valuable items. Only famous orthodox sects and great clans like the Shengao Sect or the Jiang family of Yunlin could have a few in their collections. Had Liu Laocheng made imitations himself?
The four counterfeit Sword-Locking Talismans were of varying quality. The “brush intent” in drawing the talismans had differences in level, and the divine meaning contained in them also had differences in strength. Jiang Shangzhen had seen Liu Laocheng’s handwriting, and now looking at the strokes of the bird-insect seal script and the undulations of the cloud patterns, he could confirm it was indeed Liu Laocheng’s own brushwork. This proved that Liu Laocheng was indeed a hidden talisman cultivator.
Jiang Shangzhen wasn’t in a hurry to break the formation. He pressed his two fingers together and lightly drew a line in front of him. From an acupuncture point of his life essence, he pulled out a fragment of a willow leaf. He had spent a lot of immortal money on it, and with some secret techniques, it had become almost a complete willow leaf. Jiang Shangzhen raised his two fingers and shook them gently. The willow leaf spun and danced. “Hey hey hey, Brother Cui, can you hear me?”
“Can’t hear you. Brother Zhou, can you hear me?”
“I can’t hear you either.”
“What a coincidence. Truly kindred spirits, us brothers.”
“Liu Tui only sent a single Yang Spirit incarnation to deal with Liu Laocheng. Is that enough? Putting aside everything else, Liu Laocheng is the first Upper Five Realm wild cultivator in Baoping Continent in several thousand years. He carries fortune and destiny. Fighting someone like him is very tricky. Don’t capsize in a ditch and make Liu Tui lose his realm.”
“Compare fortune? Forgot that Liu Tui is the cultivator who helped solve the ‘Tianhuang’ crisis in Fuyao Continent? In Baoping Continent, Liu Tui gets a reduction, Liu Laocheng gets a boost. Roughly, they’re evenly matched.”
“I really like Liu Tui’s personality. In the future, when he and Gu Can fight over who becomes the Dao lord of the entire continent, who will we help?”
Fuyao Continent had a custom of being very aggressive in both the mountains and the foot of the mountains. The Middle Five Realm cultivators of Tongye Continent had all run away, but in Fuyao Continent, they had almost all been killed off.
“Simple. We two brothers will bet on both sides. Don’t put all our eggs in one basket. You help Liu Tui, and I’ll help Gu Can.”
“Thank you very much.”
They both broke free from the illusion almost simultaneously. Liu Tui’s Yang Spirit external incarnation sat alone at the table drinking. He held it in for a moment, but couldn’t hold it in any longer. He spat a mouthful of blood into his wine glass.
His entire arm had turned to charcoal. The simple act of raising the glass caused ashes to fall in a rustle. Liu Tui felt a bit embarrassed. It was truly a disgrace.
Jiang Shangzhen asked doubtfully, “Where did Liu Laocheng go? Did he turn into ashes?”
Liu Tui’s expression was grim as he cursed. Then he said, “On the edge of the capital. My true body has caught up to him. Don’t worry, he won’t escape.”
When it came to methods of mountain attack and defense, no matter how strange or baffling, Liu Tui could handle them. He would counter soldiers with commanders, and water with earth. When it came to hidden tricks, Liu Tui had no shortage.
But Liu Laocheng deliberately put on a show of fighting to the death, offering up a lifebound treasure, vowing to level the Flower God Temple area in the Great Li capital. As for casualties, if Liu Laocheng was going to lose his life anyway, why would he care about that? At the very least, he would make sure Liu Tui couldn’t walk away without consequences. Either go to the Confucian Temple’s Merit Forest to read books, or at the very least, Liu Tui would never be able to set foot in Baoping Continent for the rest of his life.
So Liu Tui had no choice but to switch from offense to defense. In that fleeting moment, Liu Laocheng seized the opportunity. Using a heterodox escape technique similar to “shedding the shell” on the spot, combined with earth-shrinking magic, he managed to escape with both his soul and body.
Cui Dongshan detected a mysterious Dao resonance in the courtyard. He rolled his sleeve, condensing the residual Dao intent into a speck of golden light. He twisted it between his two fingers, and the golden light radiated strands of righteous Confucian aura. Cui Dongshan exclaimed in surprise, “This works? Damn, using crooked methods to learn the Confucian sages, and faking two life-essence characters. Genius! Liu Laocheng is a real genius! I must ask him for advice.”
Liu Tui nodded and drank the cup of bloody wine in one gulp. “From the looks of it, he first disassembled the characters and then put them back together to create the life-essence characters. It’s very fake, but it works. He used a divine invocation to summon two golden-armored gods, one civil and one martial, who stand in the shrines of the Confucian Temple and the Martial Temple. It seems they are exactly like the two door gods that every household in your Great Li dynasty posts. I think this fellow secretly refined some dilapidated county Confucian and Martial Temples without anyone knowing. Working together, their power is not weak. I was indeed careless and got caught off guard.”
Speaking of this, Liu Tui forcefully swallowed a mouthful of blood that surged up his throat. “Dammit, later I’m going to skin him alive!”
Liu Tui looked at them. “This has become a personal grudge now. Don’t you stop me.”
Jiang Shangzhen smiled but said nothing.
Cui Dongshan said with a sly smile, “What if we insist on stopping you?”
Liu Tui narrowed his eyes. “Then our friendship will be weaker, but our alliance remains unchanged.”
Just then, Liu Tui’s expression suddenly changed drastically. He cursed, “Fuck his mother!” It turned out that Liu Laocheng had managed to withstand a magical technique and ran away again, not fleeing elsewhere, but directly to the state teacher’s mansion on Thousand-Step Corridor!
Liu Laocheng, covered in blood, had a calm expression. He sat down straight at the entrance. Figures surrounded him in an instant. At the same time, certain hidden formations in the capital had been activated. Liu Laocheng sat on the steps, feeling the sharp aura of those formations, which made this fleeing Immortal realm sect master feel as if needles were piercing his back. Even so, Liu Laocheng spoke in a calm tone, “If you want me dead, trouble the state teacher to do it himself.”
“People die, eggs turn skyward. I also want to leave a decent posthumous name.”
“Chen Ping’an, I know your true body is right here!”
The capital was on lockdown. Numerous grand formations had been activated. Liu Tui’s true body, who had chased Liu Laocheng to the outskirts of the capital, could not follow him into the city. He didn’t dare, and he couldn’t.
Cui Dongshan whispered, “Failing, failing.”
Jiang Shangzhen rubbed his chin. That son of a bitch Liu Laocheng. Until this moment, Jiang Shangzhen truly wanted to kill him.
A young man in a yellow hat and green shoes waved his hand and said to the secret offerings of the Great Li Song family, “All of you retreat.”
They dared not let their guard down, but they had no choice but to leave. Having Liu Laocheng of the Zhenjing Sect run to the state teacher’s doorstep meant that the emperor would definitely ask questions.
But the next moment, a girl in a sable hat grabbed Liu Laocheng by the neck, lifted him high into the air. Then, using a short sword in her sleeve, she stabbed him through the back to the front, piercing him through.
The girl in the sable hat pulled out the short sword, then stabbed Liu Laocheng a few more times. She drew the sword quickly, but stabbed even faster. In an instant, Liu Laocheng was gravely wounded. Finally, she casually threw him aside.
He tumbled across the ground. As Liu Laocheng struggled to get up, a vortex of clouds appeared above the imperial city. A dense sword intent, condensing into a waterfall, crashed down towards Liu Laocheng.
The sea of clouds formed a ring, a great waterfall hanging from the sky.
Xiao Mo said, “That’s enough.”
Xie Gou grinned. She was truly greedy, and her Dao heart had a hunger from long starvation.
Xiao Mo reminded her with his mind, “Don’t give up halfway.”
Xie Gou nodded.
The man who had changed his court robes into a green gown and casual clothes walked out of the state teacher’s mansion and asked with a smile, “Island Master Liu, what’s this all about?”
Liu Laocheng struggled to sit up and faced the man standing on the steps of the state teacher’s mansion.
When the Great Li state teacher himself arrived on the scene, those imperial offerings silently left.
Hearing a title he hadn’t heard in many years, Liu Laocheng was silent for a moment, then laughed. “Accountant Chen, if you want to kill or dismember me, feel free. Why bother deliberately humiliating me?”
When Xie Gou heard this, she wasn’t happy. You’re being passive-aggressive with me? Humiliate you? I’ll chew you up!
Xiao Mo had to reach out and grab her arm. The girl in the sable hat seemed unable to break free as she kicked in that direction. Having learned some local dialect while strolling around the capital, she yelled, “I’ll kick you to death!”
Chen Ping’an asked, “Is the state teacher’s mansion easier to see than Gongliu Island?”
Liu Laocheng answered with a counter-question, “In the old days, Gongliu Island was not easy to reach. Is the state teacher’s mansion easy to enter now?”
Chen Ping’an nodded. “That’s true.”
With his physical body badly damaged and many holes in it, Liu Laocheng tried his best to stabilize his Dao body. He sighed deeply, “If we say that the wheel of fortune turns, isn’t it a bit too fast?”
Chen Ping’an said, “It depends on who you’re talking about. Island Master Liu becoming Sect Master Liu was merely the snap of a finger, but for many people, it was their entire next life. You and I are both hard to excuse.”
For some reason, Liu Laocheng suddenly became furious and cursed loudly, “My Shujian Lake! What the fuck does it have to do with you?!”
Xie Gou stopped moving. She felt that Liu Laocheng’s words had some meat to them.
Xiao Mo praised in his heart. Truly worthy of the top seat of Shujian Lake. Very clever.
Back at the residence, Cui Dongshan “carried” Old Gang Leader Gao back to the back courtyard, then dispelled the formation that Liu Laocheng had set up.
Cui Dongshan also lost his mood for joking. He said seriously, “One volume of the Shujian Lake book, this chapter about Liu Laocheng, is now turned over. Gao Mian, you can go back.”
Gao Mian stood up, drank the remaining pot of wine on the table, silently clasped his hands in a bow, and turned to leave.
Cui Dongshan suddenly called out, “Old Gang Leader Gao.”
Gao Mian turned around in confusion. The white-clothed boy didn’t say anything else, as if he was just greeting him.
But the old man suddenly saw the light. The blockages in his heart disappeared completely. He turned and left.
Jiang Shangzhen watched the old man’s back, and he also felt a little emotional. At the moment of parting, Cui Dongshan called him ‘Old Gang Leader Gao’ instead of talking about the past; it probably meant that at least in Baoping Continent, Gao Mian was a very good man. Jiang Shangzhen couldn’t help but think of Old Man Xun, who had left so suddenly, taking all those secrets and worries with him, not saying a word to anyone.
Cui Dongshan smiled at Liu Tui. “Brother Liu, fellow ally, is there still a chance to make amends and be friends again?”
Liu Tui laughed. “I am a few years older. Just call me Brother Liu.”
Then he realized something was wrong. Hadn’t Liu Laocheng also been called ‘Brother Liu’ by Jiang Shangzhen? Liu Tui couldn’t help muttering, “What a bad omen.”
Cui Dongshan said, “Brother Liu just lost a little face, but Liu Laocheng really took a big hit. How about we just let it go?”
Liu Tui said, “As long as he steers clear of me whenever he sees me on the road from now on, I’ll pretend he doesn’t exist.”
Jiang Shangzhen smiled knowingly. For people like them, giving such a promise was already a sign of considerable sincerity.
Cui Dongshan floated back up onto the fish tank, pointed two fingers together at the sky, and said, “Your little brother will definitely help pass on Brother Liu’s words!”
“A false alarm, though with lingering fear, in the end, nothing happened. The path through the dark willows and bright flowers may be arduous, but at least we can rest for a while.”
“If you want to know what happens next, listen to the next chapter’s breakdown!”
Cui Dongshan stood on the water tank, muttering while shadowboxing, occasionally striking a golden rooster stance. For someone like this to not get beaten up when he went out, or even beaten to death, was nothing short of a miracle.
In the old days, he had wandered around as if trapped by a ghost wall. No matter how far he went, exhausting his intellect, manpower, and mental energy, he was destined to never cross that incredibly steep heavenly moat. And now he was walking on level ground.
Liu Tui suddenly said, “To be honest, a single mountain doesn’t benefit from having too many vassal territories or enclaves. When they’re too numerous, people’s hearts become mixed, and it can easily become a burden. Sword Immortal Chen clearly aims for the fourteenth realm; he won’t stop at Ascension. So he must be more careful. Since ancient times, things have rarely been perfect. The moon fears fullness, water fears overflowing. It’s always best to lack a little.”
Jiang Shangzhen nodded. “A profound view.”
Cui Dongshan seconded. “Indeed.”
A single Fallen Mountain had already acquired two sword dao sects, and would soon acquire a ready-made immortal estate of the sect level. Even if it wasn’t Stinktree Daoist’s Xiefeng Palace in Golden Armor Continent, even if it wasn’t the Zhenjing Sect that would change its surname to Jiang and its name, another sect would take its place. In the jianghu, there were those who joined teachers with their skills and then made a name for themselves. In the mountains, having an entire sect pledge allegiance was also a fine tale.
The establishment of the Qingping Sword Sect in Tongye Continent was inevitable. The allegiance of the Longxiang Sword Sect in Southern Bodhisattva Continent was also a good thing. But whether the third sect existed was a double-edged sword.
Whether Fallen Mountain would have the property of a fourth vassal sect depended on the rise or fall of the third sect’s fortune within a few hundred years.
In ancient times, several great cultivators had used grand strategies of alliances and vertical-horizontal maneuvers to attempt creating a Dao field with more than four sects.
But except for Yu Xuan’s Taofu Mountain, every single one had ended in darkness. And there was a saying on the mountain peak about Yu Xuan, who monopolized the word ‘talisman’: no matter how high Yu Xuan’s Dao power was, one person’s Dao heart was like an incense burner that could not bear the myriad complicated incense fires of so many hearts. So many sect peaks, tens of thousands of genealogy cultivators—far more than just chicken ribs, they were a complete drag on Yu Xuan’s path of unity.
It was like what Stinktree Daoist had said. In Xiefeng Palace, he was also an autocratic founding patriarch… Cui Dongshan was startled. Hey, why was there a ‘also’?!
If it weren’t for that, Stinktree Daoist wouldn’t have been able to decide unilaterally to change the sect’s genealogy registry. What would Fallen Mountain do by taking in a Xiefeng Palace with scattered hearts? In a street fight, was it about having many people making a lot of noise?
One should know that for a cultivator to burn incense in the Ancestral Hall of a mountain and have his name entered into the gold and jade genealogy registry was no simple matter. The heavenly founders and their own Dao hearts were watching.
When it came to the rise and fall of one’s own fate and the fortune of the entire Dao field, entering the registry and burning incense was an act of entrusting one’s great Dao and life.
Generally speaking, the more junior a sect’s disciples were, the less they were direct or personal disciples, and the smaller their “dividend” would be in the mysterious matter of fortune.
For cultivators who didn’t care about the Great Dao, it didn’t matter. They could just cling to a big thigh and enjoy the blessings, seeking a stable cultivation.
But any cultivator who intended to climb high, or even reach the summit, would resist the arrangement of living under someone else’s thumb. No freedom, no desire to watch people’s expressions, turning the Dao field into a bureaucratic office.
These people were like those who got on the gambling table where heaven was the banker, hoping to bet big and win big. This was called preferring to be a chicken head rather than a phoenix tail.
Liu Tui said, “This Liu Laocheng fellow does have some skill.”
Jiang Shangzhen laughed. “He’s of the same kind as us. Not weak.”
The white-clothed boy stood steady on the water tank, flicked his fingers in a lotus gesture, and sang in the style of a theatrical aria: “Looking back from eternal life and immortality, I only envy mandarin ducks, not immortals.”
—
Not long ago, outside a county town in the Great Li capital’s outskirts, there was a tallow tree by the roadside.
A wandering Daoist stopped here, looking up at the high branches.
That middle-aged Daoist had an extraordinary bearing. He wore a hat of green jade, a Daoist robe, straw sandals, and held a horsetail whisk in his hand.
By the Daoist’s side was a yellow-clad woman who seemed to be a maidservant. Her appearance was ordinary, but her skin was fair, and her figure was especially striking: full breasts, long legs, good for bearing children.
They were the Yellow Flower Deity from Shujian Lake, and Tian Hujun.
The Yellow Flower Deity had come here to try his luck, to see if he could have the chance to meet his master, and that master happened to be the former junior disciple of Tian Hujun. Interestingly, the Yellow Flower Deity could now also be considered Tian Hujun’s half-proselytizer.
Why did he become a disciple of Gu Can? It was simple, as the old saying goes: evil people have evil people to torment them.
Any wild cultivator who could climb to the Jade Perfection realm was not to be underestimated. That was the consensus in the mountains.
The sect teachings in large sects, besides imparting Dao methods and explaining secret scriptures, always had some “unspoken secrets” that were not meant to be publicized. For example, Jiang Shangzhen, after many years of roughing it in Beiju Continent, had compiled many “famous works.” Leaving aside those erotic novels full of sensual description, there was one specialized book full of jargon and secret code. It contained all of Jiang Shangzhen’s insights on how wild cultivators should deal with genealogy cultivators. In fact, many genealogy cultivators from mountain sects kept a copy on their desk, or had once owned one and then stored it away.
The content inside was simply too precious.
Tian Hujun had never had any great ambitions. Even in the dog-eat-dog world of Shujian Lake, she had only buried her head in cultivation. Her Dao field was Meixian Island, and later she acquired Sulin Island. She was not like her master Liu Zhimao, who had the heart of a great villain and deep scheming, nor could she be like Yan Su, who focused solely on cultivation and kept herself pure. In short, she was caught in the middle. She wasn’t good enough to be good, nor bad enough to be bad. Her master Liu Zhimao considered her incompetent and never trusted her as a confidant. Tian Hujun was a disciple simply by being obedient.
An old friend of her master once teased her, saying, “You are a natural-born genealogy cultivator who was born in the wrong place, becoming Liu Zhimao’s direct disciple.”
It scared her so much that her face turned pale on the spot, afraid that her master would hear and be displeased.
Earlier, on Sulin Island, the Yellow Flower Deity had left a secret manual for her. A manual worth a fortune, and he didn’t charge her, but for every question she asked, she had to pay a gold-essence copper coin.
The matter of cultivation also depended on the character of the learner. If one was aloof and lived in a cold Dao field, cultivating all the way to the summit would be a solitary journey of loneliness, with only private joys and sorrows.
There were also great cultivators whose immortal mansions were often filled with distinguished guests, with cups and chopsticks flying, friends and confidants all over the world. They liked to play in the mortal world, to squeeze into crowds, seeking the Dao in the midst of bustle, to see their true heart.
No matter what, there would always be a touchstone to distinguish true friends from fair-weather friends. That was the matter of seclusion for tribulation: whether one could find one or two Dao companions to help guard the gate.
Even if the secluded person was one hundred percent sure of success in crossing the tribulation, they would still ask Dao companions for help. After all, the will of heaven was unpredictable, and cultivators were most afraid of the one-in-a-million chance. If the secluded cultivator couldn’t withstand the heavenly tribulations and showed signs of physical dissolution, the gatekeeper would have to intervene and sacrifice his Dao power. If he was stingy with his cultivation or cowardly, choosing to look on with folded arms and walk away, then his reputation in the mountains would be ruined. One party entrusted his life, the other retreated in the face of danger. It lacked any shred of righteousness and would harm the other’s Dao life.
The Yellow Flower Deity looked up at that tallow tree and muttered to himself, “When I was little, every winter my parents would call me to climb the tree and cut branches, peel the seeds, and beat the branches hard with a long bamboo pole.”
Saying this, the Yellow Flower Deity raised his hand. It was as white as jade. It wasn’t without reason that cultivators with successful cultivation were called golden branches and jade leaves.
“They were covered in tiny cuts. I didn’t even have an excuse to pretend to cry and complain.”
The Yellow Flower Deity murmured, “I absolutely hated these tallow trees.”
“They could be used to extract oil and make candles. Even poor families could trade them for money. Later, I read an ancient book that said applying it to hair could turn white to black.”
“So later, when I went up the mountain and became a mountain and marsh wild cultivator with some magic, I had to learn to impersonate a genealogy cultivator. I casually took a Daoist name: ‘Tallowwood’.”
Tian Hujun gathered her courage and asked, “Senior, how did you end up with Sect Master Gu?”
The Yellow Flower Deity laughed at himself. “Gu Can chased me relentlessly for over two years. He couldn’t kill me, and I couldn’t shake him. I think he had a screw loose. In between fighting and killing, he insisted that I admit my mistakes. All the way, he babbled those damn dog-shit reasons. I admitted my mistakes, but he said my heart wasn’t sincere and it didn’t count. The second time I admitted my mistakes, he asked me how to correct them. I answered, and he said that wasn’t right. The third time I answered, he said it still wasn’t good enough… it just dragged on. Either I was beaten to death by him, or I was driven crazy by him. I had no choice but to accept my fate. After that, I had to follow the agreement: in private, I had to show the respect of a disciple and call him ‘Master’.”
“Don’t think it’s interesting. It was very dangerous. To say it was a battle of wits and courage, each gambling with his life, wouldn’t be an exaggeration.”
“For example, you finally catch your breath, squatting in the outhouse, and someone sticks his head out of the pit and stabs a hatchet into your ass. To put it bluntly, you can’t even sleep a full sleep; even taking a shit, you can only do half of it.”
“Tian Hujun is afraid of Gu Can, but I’m even more afraid. However, the Gu Can you’re afraid of is not the same person I’m afraid of anymore. Through that whole fight, my cultivation didn’t improve; instead, I was badly injured. But he was the opposite. He honed various techniques and methods more and more skillfully, integrating them. It was like he was using me to practice. The later Gu Can didn’t just rely on his Baidi City identity. His Dao power, Dao heart, and his reasons were all improving. That’s what’s most frightening about Gu Can. It seems like nothing in the world can’t be used by him.”
“Otherwise, if I was pushed to the wall, I wouldn’t care if he was Fu Jin’s junior or Zheng Juzhong’s direct disciple. Even if it were Zheng Juzhong himself, if he wanted my life, I would fight for my life. Since when is there a wild cultivator under heaven who would willingly submit to certain death?!”
Tian Hujun had been listening patiently to the Yellow Flower Deity’s words. She felt his pain.
On the tallow tree, a cold-faced and stern boy appeared.
It was Liu Tui’s true body, still chasing Liu Laocheng.
With the appearance of a young boy, he was actually the one with the highest Dao age in Fuyao Continent, even older than Yang Qiangu of the back mountain.
He gazed into the distance and asked, “Did you see Liu Laocheng of the Zhenjing Sect?”
The Yellow Flower Deity dared not believe it, but he still took a few steps back. “I dare not conceal it, senior. I have not seen him.”
Liu Tui looked down and laughed mockingly. “Fellow Daoist Yellow Flower truly has leisure and elegance, reminiscing about the bitterness of the past here.”
Just as the Yellow Flower Deity had formulated a reply, Liu Tui had already left. Far off, he shouted angrily, “Running?!”
Three women were walking in an alley in the capital where both sides were lined with shops selling powder, dresses, and hair ornaments.
Xiao Pu of the Bamboo Basket Hall, Gongsun Lingling who continued to work as a cook in the state teacher’s mansion, and Jian Zhu, a third-class offering priest of the Great Li Ministry of Justice. They were, or had been, assassins of the Cherry Blossom Azure lineage.
Looking at her appearance alone, Gongsun Lingling was not a very beautiful woman, but she had a fragile quality that made one pity her at first sight.
When men looked at her, they probably had two spontaneous attitudes: to cherish or to ravage.
Gongsun Lingling had the figure of a plump woman, but she had the temperament of an innocent girl. Her eyes always carried a hint of confusion and shyness. It was likely that a man meeting her gaze would find her gentle, delicate, and timid. This kind of “spirit” was both an innate trait and a result of her deliberate cultivation as a Cherry Blossom Azure.
If they used the secret disguise techniques of the underworld or the illusion arts of immortals, it would ultimately be low-class. So from Xiao Pu to Gongsun Lingling to Jian Zhu, they all had roughly the same appearance and would never give anyone a shocking impression. If they were too beautiful and their looks too striking, they would be spotted at a glance while walking on the street. How could they be assassins?
So they were a group of women who actively chose to be as easily forgotten and overlooked as possible. Of course, there were exceptions, like that new maidservant by Fu Nanhua’s side.
Without any warning, murderous intent suddenly flared up. Gongsun Lingling instinctively took defensive measures, but in an instant, her face turned pale and her spirit collapsed.
In contrast, the young girl Jian Zhu not only sensed Xiao Pu’s instant killing intent and sneak attack, but she also almost instantly assumed a counter-killing posture.
Jian Zhu’s movement was within Xiao Pu’s expectations. She had only made a point. Xiao Pu gently pressed down the girl’s hand blade, then turned her head to look at Gongsun Lingling, who knew she had failed the assessment. Xiao Pu shook her head. “You’re already an ordinary cultivator.”
The words weren’t harsh, and the tone wasn’t heavy, but for someone who had once been a Cherry Blossom Azure assassin, it was the greatest denial.
Jian Zhu withdrew her hand and instantly transformed back into a cute girl, looking around, choosing which shop she liked.
Gongsun Lingling asked, “Can I still return to the Bamboo Basket Hall?”
This nonsense question made Xiao Pu furious. “Whether you can return or not, is that up to me?! When you left the Bamboo Basket Hall, did I really expel you?!”
Jian Zhu glanced at Gongsun Lingling. The young girl was utterly puzzled. How could someone like this have ever ranked among the Bamboo Basket Hall?
The Cherry Blossom Azure lineage had its own requirements. For example, fighting at the same realm, one should be able to exchange injuries for a life. Even a decrepit old body, desperately fighting to the death, could also trade a life.
Xiao Pu said, “Wait for news.”
Gongsun Lingling returned to the state teacher’s mansion. On the way, she attracted many covetous gazes, but no one dared to come up and grope her.
Xiao Pu met a very noble young woman. The latter said, “The state teacher’s mansion requests your presence.”
Xiao Pu nodded, without any doubt or hesitation. The woman said her name was Rong Yu and she was a maidservant of the state teacher’s mansion.
Jian Zhu walked through the streets and alleys, bought a piece of pastry, and ate it while walking. She looked up at the clouds and the sky.
The old saying goes: there is one sky overhead. Do all the myriad common people truly bear the same sky?
Jian Zhu had been brought to the Great Li capital by an old man. Only many years later did she learn his identity. It was very unusual. His official hat wasn’t big, but his authority was immense.
She lived here for a few years first, learning to read and write, eating well, taking medicinal diets. He also taught her martial arts and boxing. Then she was thrown to Qiu Country, where, by a stroke of luck, she became a Cherry Blossom Azure.
The court officials didn’t know about them. The common people didn’t know about them. Except for the records in the Ministry of Justice archives, only they themselves knew who they were.
The name Jian Zhu had been casually given by that old man. She had a hobby: collecting that already out-of-print set of landscape travel notes.
When she got to a general store, nominally she was the younger cousin of the shopkeeper, a young man with big eyes. His real identity was Jian Zhu’s superior, both being third-class offerings of the Ministry of Justice.
The man asked, “You were allowed to act as you saw fit. Is this how you do your work? Have you thought about how to write the report?”
Jian Zhu had just been promoted to third-class offering priest of the Ministry of Justice. After the Ministry’s inspection, she would be allowed to recruit personnel internally and have a small stronghold. She had indeed done well in Qiu Country. But it seemed she still fell a bit short of directly receiving a Ministry of Justice Non-Action Token. However, it seemed that on a certain sword boat, there was a great figure who, seemingly casually, mentioned it, and the Ministry of Justice’s Office of Investigation took it seriously. After a meeting where all opinions had to be recorded, Jian Zhu not only received a third-class Non-Action Token but was also recalled to the Great Li capital to participate in the secret net-casting operation for the state teacher’s celebration.
Jian Zhu said, “That guy was like a turtle that bit the scale weight. What could I do?”
The man asked, “What was his last living sentence? You were a bit off then.”
That spy from another country who had been lurking in the Great Li capital for over ten years was determined to die. He had no intention of defecting to the Great Li. Determined to die, he had cursed the girl.
“Fuck your mother, you Great Li barbarian!”
Upon hearing this, the man’s expression softened a little. “It’s okay. It won’t be recorded as a demerit. At most, you won’t get any credit.”
Jian Zhu asked, “Second Master, can I go see Gu Can? Just a glance from afar is enough.”
The man said sternly, “No!”
Jian Zhu remained expressionless.
The man said, “Jian Zhu, listen to me. Don’t go looking for death!”
Jian Zhu said, “It’s not like I’m going for revenge. What death?”
The man’s expression was complicated. “Back then, your mother’s sect island was flooded by that… beast. The casualties were heavy. Gu Can is the owner of that beast. It’s indeed a blood feud that won’t be reconciled under the same sky. But even if you don’t want to hear it, I have to say a few words. Your First Master and I share the same view. Your mother’s sect, from top to bottom, was too… dirty. It was bound to be liquidated by the Great Li court sooner or later, like many people and many island sects. The Zhenjing Sect bunch would secretively take their heads and use them as a letter of allegiance to hand to the general stationed there. Given your mother’s temper, if her sect was called to account later, how could she sit idly by? As long as she acted impulsively, under the circumstances at the time, she would definitely be dead, dead for sure.”
The girl was silent, leaning on the counter, clacking the abacus.
The man said, “Before your mother died, she said you must not seek revenge against Gu Can!”
It was a very twisted past. Jian Zhu’s mother did not die from a violent accident or that war. She made a big mistake on her path of cultivation, but the hidden danger in her Dao heart had been planted long ago.
The girl stopped the abacus, gave a radiant smile. “Mother is gone, but I still have my two aunts. They used to dote on me the most. I just wonder how they’ve been all these years.”
The man breathed a sigh of relief. “You’ll definitely have a chance to meet them.”
Jian Zhu leaned sideways against the counter, staring blankly at the door.
The man who knew her past was well aware that the point of that spy’s last sentence that prevented him from reaching the Ministry of Justice’s prison alive was not the Great Li dynasty, but the first three words.
In the short span of thirty years, Shujian Lake had undergone two earth-shattering changes: once when it was incorporated into the territory of the Great Li dynasty, and once when the Zhenjing Sect was established and founded.
Human destiny can never be greater than national destiny, and national destiny is less than the world’s fortune. The wild cultivators of Shujian Lake, no matter how lawless they used to be, had become more timid. All cultivators had to adapt to the new Baoping Continent situation, or they would be sifted out and eliminated, or have old scores settled. Maybe you drank at the same table yesterday, and tomorrow it would be your turn, without a sound.
So even the most well-informed cultivators of the various islands of Shujian Lake might have gradually forgotten that there used to be a group of beautiful open-collar girls on Qingxia Island.
Compared to towering figures like Gu Can, River-Chopping True Lord Liu Zhimao, Immortal Liu Laocheng, Jiang Shangzhen, and Wei Ying, these women were utterly insignificant. They were like a dozen or so fallen flowers drifting on the surface of Shujian Lake in the old days, living and dying, sinking and drowning.
There were too many great events in the world concerning honor, disgrace, life, and death. This made them appear even more insignificant and negligible.
The girl sniffed, turned her head, propped her cheek on one hand, and continued fiddling with the abacus.
It seemed that everyone came into the world crying, each reading a wordless book of the world. Some found it either wonderful or boring, and some found it truly bitter.
The man hesitated for a moment, then said, “There are also women like your mother who have encountered similar things. They are very grateful to someone.”
He didn’t dare to casually say that name.
Jian Zhu nodded. “Actually, my mother also said that he is different from Gu Can, Liu Zhimao, and the others. He is a good person. Mother and my aunts all felt that he shouldn’t have come to Shujian Lake.”
The man was skeptical. “Did she really say that?”
Jian Zhu didn’t answer that question.
Her mother had been a personal disciple of the island master of Sulin Island in Shujian Lake. One of her aunts came from the family of a eunuch in Shihao Country. Jian Zhu remembered she was gentle and spoke in a soft, thin voice. The other Aunt Ye was probably an outer disciple of Shu Ku Island, who liked to plant flowers and grass. Later, when the war came, they scattered like dust on the road.
At the separate courtyard of the Flower God Temple, the temple keeper Ye Man straightened her brocade collar. She remembered a scene from years ago: a thin man in cotton clothes often walked out of the accounting office in the dead of night and wandered alone at the ferry. He was also surnamed Chen.