Chapter 4: Refreshing
On the journey to the Central Earth Divine Continent, Qi Tingji led the sword cultivators, while among the martial artists, Chen Ping'an only brought Zheng Dafeng, the first gatekeeper of Fallen Mountain.
They would use Three Mountain Talismans to travel across continents, with three designated locations: the Resting Dragon Stone in the South Sea, the Mountain Sea Sect on the central coast, and the Central Mountain of the Dashou Dynasty, with the capital built at its base.
Because Zhu Su needed to immediately go into seclusion in that thatched hut by the Sword-Returning Lake, Ning Yao was responsible for helping guard her seclusion.
As they rode the wind, the mountains stretched beneath their feet. They were like goddesses from a mural, walking through the void hand in hand. Zhu Su thanked Ning Yao, who told her not to be polite—though in truth, both sides were very courteous.
Perhaps, as the little girl Sun Chunwang had said, even if one is reborn in the same place, meeting in a foreign land doesn't necessarily mean an instant bond.
This matter could not be delayed. If Zhu Su's Dao heart regressed and her spiritual connection was lost—she had already been forced to withdraw from seclusion twice—then what should have been a sure breakthrough in cultivation could become uncertain. So Zhu Su had to strike while the iron was hot and seize the chance to break through to the immortal realm.
Little Rice and the others were going out to travel tomorrow, and the day after was the joyous wedding of Liu Xianyang and She Yue. Zhu Lian stayed in the mountain; after making breakfast, he needed to rush immediately to the Dragon Spring Sword Sect to meet with Elder Priest Jia.
Xiao Mo had long since found a place he liked on Grey Mist Mountain, a spot called Golden Lotus Pond, where he planned to build a Daoist sanctuary in the future.
He wanted to follow the young master to Dashou, but Chen Ping'an scorned him for being at too low a cultivation level now—it was hard to say who would be the dead soldier for whom—so he directly sent Xiao Mo off to Grey Mist Mountain.
Xie Dog asked the mountain master if he would slaughter his way through the Dashou palace. The answer was to see how things played out. Since a vice-president of the Literary Academy had already arrived there, it probably wouldn't get too out of hand.
Upon hearing that someone from the Literary Academy was involved, Xie Dog changed her mind and decided to accompany Xiao Mo to Golden Lotus Pond instead, letting Old Deafie, who had just been promoted to second-ranking elder, take her place as the mountain master's enforcer. Old Deafie understood the gravity of the situation and nodded in agreement, but missing tonight's scheduled teaching session was like having a piece of his flesh cut off—he felt terribly upset and pondered how to make up for it.
To the north, Grey Mist Mountain was just a few steps from Fallen Mountain. At the mountain's armpit was a small pond. Xiao Mo drifted down lightly, pulled a crystal-clear "snail shell" from his sleeve. Xie Dog recognized it and exclaimed in admiration—a good thing. Xiao Mo smiled and explained it was a parting gift from Fellow Daoist Bixiao when they last drank together at Guan Dao Temple.
Xiao Mo casually tossed the snail shell into the muddy ground beside Golden Lotus Pond, silently recited a Daoist incantation, and in the blink of an eye, a snail shell Daoist sanctuary sprouted from the dense clouds. They entered together, walking through corridors and passages. Xie Dog suddenly became furious—inside the sanctuary were countless "jade maidens" carved from emerald crystal, dressed in colorful clothes, with bright eyes, white teeth, and exquisite hairpins. They filled the halls and corridors in an endless stream, heavily scented with powder and perfume. Xiao Mo merely ignored them, walking straight to a multistory building hung with more than a dozen plaques high and low, where he intended to heal his injuries.
He had once possessed four natal flying swords, but one was given away and one destroyed, leaving him with two.
One was "True Trace," which could inscribe the divine abilities of others, and the other was "Drunken Land," which could imprison souls. Both sword names had been chosen by the young master.
Whether he could return to the fourteenth realm was extremely uncertain; he could only do his best and leave the rest to fate.
Those jade maidens twittered and fluttered about, hand in hand, but Xie Dog was no longer angry, because on second thought, this place would make a nice wedding chamber.
For a grand household, what harm was there in having more maidservants? Besides, for an immortal palace, this was her and Xiao Mo's mandarin duck Daoist sanctuary—it needed some embroidery and ornamentation.
Xiao Mo raised his palm. A wisp of slender sword intent twisted along the lines of his palm, like a lotus root thread climbing up his fingers, twining around them. At the same time, a spherical, mud-pill-like yellow orb spun in his palm. Xiao Mo explained, "Zhao Tianlai of Dragon Tiger Mountain previously saved me from certain death. The Celestial Master Sect's Dao power was indeed profound—he even managed to lend a hand, gathering some remnants of the flying sword 'Lotus Root Silk' and the Dao remnants of that celestial star. Mending and reshaping the natal flying sword 'Lotus Root Silk' is a distant hope for now, but using the natal divine ability of 'True Trace' to copy a second-rate imitation of 'Lotus Root Silk' is not difficult. The young master said that once you and I can again prove the Dao and ascend, we can travel far beyond the heavens. If our luck is good and we find another celestial star aligned with my fate, there may be a chance to start over."
Xie Dog nodded. "Accomplishing this is extremely difficult, but at least a thread of hope remains. Celestial Master Zhao is indeed noble-hearted. In the future, we should make a trip to Dragon Tiger Mountain and personally pay our respects and thanks."
Xiao Mo nodded in deep agreement.
Since heaven and earth had become clear, the mountains and rivers of the mortal world were charming, and the grudges on the Dao should also be refreshing.
Upon arriving at Resting Dragon Platform, which had formerly belonged to the Green Water Pit but was now under the South Sea Water Mansion, they followed custom by offering incense and paying respects to that gentleman of the Three Mountain Nine Marquis.
As soon as Zheng Dafeng heard that the Northern Peak Mountain Lord of the Dashou Dynasty was a female ancestor of the Yin Clan and, like Song Pin and Nie Cui'e, was one of the most stunning beauties in the mountains, he immediately, after offering incense at Resting Dragon Platform, dragged Cui Dongshan and Vice-Mountain Lord Jiang to rush to the Mountain Sea Sect. Upon arriving at this famous coastal sect, they had no time to admire the scenery—it seemed beauties won people's hearts over landscapes.
Qi Tingji and the group of sword cultivators, including Lu Zhi, stayed at the Mountain Sea Sect for about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense. They met the sect's founding patriarch, Nalan Xianxiu.
Nalan Xianxiu was proficient in fire techniques. She had once left the mountain and gone to sea to do battle with the Wild Abyss's Yangzhi, severely injuring her vitality. In recent years, she had been in seclusion; she emerged this time out of courtesy.
If she had not intercepted Yangzhi first, preventing this throned great demon from escaping into the Returning Void, then Liu Qi might not have arrived at the battlefield in time, and thus could not have used three hundred and sixty techniques to completely defeat Yangzhi's water technique divine abilities.
When Nalan Xianxiu heard their intention to go to the Dashou Dynasty and cause trouble, she couldn't help but smile. Twisting her wrist, she pulled out a purple bamboo smoking pipe with an emerald mouthpiece, twisted out some tobacco, and began to puff clouds and smoke.
Zheng Dafeng and the others arrived first at the highest peak of the Dashou Central Mountain. The massive outline of the capital was at the mountain's base. Their sudden appearance attracted a group of female officials from the Central Mountain Patrol Department who came to interrogate them, finding these uninvited outsiders suspiciously well-dressed but not seeming like good people.
If not for the fact that these unidentified intruders had somehow bypassed the heavily restricted mountain-protecting grand formation, they would have captured them first and interrogated them later.
Cui Dongshan stepped forward to deal with them, standing on one leg like a golden rooster and using operatic tones to ask and answer himself... The goddesses, who had already activated various magical treasures, looked at each other in bewilderment, momentarily uncertain whether to arrest them or not.
On the cliffside of the Mountain Sea Sect, the sea wind howled. The roar of the tides was especially clear in the night. The mountain master's figure in blue robes had yet to appear.
After a moment of silence, Nalan Xianxiu said, "Tell your mountain master to be careful in the near future. It's best not to go wandering around casually."
Qi Tingji asked in confusion, "Why?"
The territory of the Mountain Sea Sect was the site of an ancient battlefield of the water and fire conflict. That Nalan Xianxiu, who had established her sect here, knew some hidden "heavenly secrets" made sense.
Nalan Xianxiu was even more puzzled and asked back, "Has Chen Ping'an not been honest with you about the truth?"
Lu Zhi frowned and said, "Please, Senior Nalan, enlighten us."
Nalan Xianxiu said, "Zhou Mi tried to let the divine Dao encompass heaven and earth, allowing him to act on behalf of heaven's will—or rather, Zhou Mi himself was to become the 'Dao.'"
"Chen Ping'an did the opposite and ruined Zhou Mi's plan to achieve 'oneness.'"
"Let me ask you: if you were the 'divine Dao,' how would you view Chen Ping'an?"
Qi Tingji was deeply shaken by these words. However, during the activation of the Three Mountain Talisman, it was impossible to return to Resting Dragon Platform, and there were no other islands nearby for visualization. For a moment, he was filled with worry.
Lu Zhi said tentatively, "Would he be seen as an ungrateful wolf?"
Nalan Xianxiu was speechless for a moment. She blew out a wispy smoke ring, suppressed a smile, and said slowly, "I was going to comment 'a thief within the house.' Your wording is more accurate than mine."
Mi Yu pressed, "If so, what would be the consequences?"
Nalan Xianxiu, never one to hold back, said frankly, "What else could the consequences be? Either suffer long-term aversion from heaven, or bear a heavenly punishment in the short term."
Qi Tingji understood in his heart: Chen Ping'an's cultivation realm dropping to nothing was both an unavoidable powerlessness and a strategic... escape?
At Resting Dragon Platform, Chen Ping'an stood by the shore, cupping water to wash his face.
Beside him was Liu Xiang, who had manifested from the great Dao of the Hao Ran world.
Liu Xiang said, "The best plan is to hide in the Literary Academy and wait for this heavenly punishment to descend, letting the entire Hao Ran world share the calamity. The second-best plan is to quickly build two transcontinental bridges, position yourself in the Fallen Mountain Daoist sanctuary, and let the eastern three continents, including the Great Li Dynasty, bear the calamity together. The worst plan is to try what you have in mind, since you've been close to water since childhood. Chen Ping'an, have you really thought this through?"
Chen Ping'an lifted his head, shook his hands dry, and said with a smile, "No need to think."
---
A group of people rode out of the capital through the night in a continuous line, the horses' hooves ringing steadily, heading to the nearest immortal ferry to board a ship that made regular trips between Ever Spring Palace and Old Dragon City.
Leading the riders was the leader of the Fish Dragon Gang, the Canal Marshal Liu Chang, who had brought seven or eight elite gang members south. He planned to personally establish two sub-sects in the two neighboring countries south of the Great River. The Great Li Dynasty's territory was so vast that if he had to rely on horseback travel, with Liu Chang's talent and learning, he could probably write a travel journal.
Before leaving the capital, Liu Chang had made a trip to the gang's main headquarters in the outer city and personally executed those senior members who had been tampering with the "tea fees." Within a quarter of an hour, everything was cleaned up. First, Liu Chang was a Golden Body Realm martial artist, an undeniable minor grandmaster in the martial world. Second, who could have imagined that Liu Chang, the gang leader so considerate of his subordinates, would suddenly erupt and kill without warning?
Besides the Fish Dragon Gang followers, there were two "attendants" that Liu Chang felt ten of his own lives couldn't match half of theirs: the noble young master Cao Lue and the handsome youth Lu Jun.
Liu Chang didn't yet know their exact identities, but just from the fact that they could chat with that National Teacher Chen outside the Jia-Zi courtyard at Old Oriole Lake, he had a good idea.
To be honest, if he had any choice, if he could say no, Liu Chang absolutely would not want to take these two "young wanderers," whose status was loftier than the heavens, with him to brave the martial world.
What was there to brave in the martial world nowadays? It was all knives of human sentiment and fists of scheming. What was compared was not virtue or martial skill, but backing from the government and hidden patrons.
Take Liu Chang himself—hadn't he attached himself to that Sixth Master?
The riding party chose a fork in the road leading to the ferry. It was a longer route, but the main road was clogged with traffic; taking the smaller road was faster and quieter, and wouldn't invite trouble.
That young master named Cao Lue now rode side by side with Liu Chang. He was clearly skilled in riding, his sleeves fluttering in the wind, very dashing.
Cao Lue's face was full of longing as he asked with a smile, "Canal Marshal, I heard that back in the day, when you were in the territory of the Lojing capital, you and the invincible Fist God Gang's chivalrous woman He Lian Baozhu, without any backup, had a period when you worked together to solve cases, slay evil spirits, stormed into a demon cave-like Daoist sanctuary to kill fierce fiends, and lived a martial world life like a fairy couple?"
Liu Chang's head instantly ached at this content straight out of an oral storybook, but mindful of the other's special status, he could only patiently explain, "Those are all exaggerated tales from outside. The so-called evil spirit was just a roaming flower thief at the Viewing Sea Realm, and the vicious fiend that lurked in the wild marshes had secretly built a licentious shrine and liked to feast on children—it was only a Dragon Gate Realm that wasn't skilled in combat."
Lu Jun, listening with alternating gasps and exclamations, was full of admiration. "Viewing Sea Realm and Dragon Gate Realm, and to the Canal Marshal, they're just a 'just,' a 'merely'? Canal Marshal, you're truly remarkable. Working with Chivalrous Woman He Lian, with a laugh and a word, you reduced those villains and fiends to ashes. I long for such deeds in my heart, I do."
Bringing up the rear of the riding party was Gao Shi, with his family heirloom saber "Green Waist" hanging at his side. This Peak Mountain Realm bottleneck martial artist was almost nodding off from boredom.
Liu Chang was going south for a small-time operation, Cao Jie and Lu Jun were going because they had nothing better to do—idle rich kids—but Gao Shi was the most unlucky. He had been ordered by his superiors to "accompany the princes in their studies."
He had originally been full of passion, intending to join the army at the Great Li border, but the young Hidden Officer had reasoned with him and persuaded him otherwise, so he instead went to the City Patrol Department as a low-level clerk. No sooner had he started working under Commander Hong Ji than his first assignment was to "secretly" protect those two imperial clansmen who shared the dynasty's surname. Commander Hong, you haven't read any books, have you? That's how you phrase an order? What kind of "secret" is this?
Up ahead on the small road, several riders blocked the middle of the path, their silhouettes faint in the darkness. Liu Chang raised his arm, and the riding party came to an abrupt halt. Liu Chang rode forward alone, without a word of explanation, advancing slowly.
As he drew closer and could see clearly, Liu Chang breathed a sigh of relief. The other party consisted of two men and two women. Liu Chang was puzzled: why was the Sixth Master also here?! Hadn't she said the family was strict? How was she able to go out? Were they seeing them off? Liu Chang knew he didn't have that kind of face. Could it be that the Sixth Master's family and Cao Lue and Lu Jun were old family friends?
Liu Chang also recognized the two women beside the Sixth Master: Rong Yu from the National Teacher's Palace, an absolute young mistress not to be trifled with. Back at that "official hall," Rong Yu had spoken freely.
And there was a young female cultivator who had appeared on the wall at Old Oriole Lake, one of the "Earthly Branches" mentioned by National Teacher Chen. As for her name and Dao lineage, Liu Chang was just a wanderer in the martial world and certainly didn't have the inside information from the mountains. To put it bluntly, Liu Chang felt he wasn't a martial arts hero roaming the martial world; rather, the martial world was roaming him. Because after leaving Old Oriole Lake, Liu Chang had gained a more intuitive, personal realization: the real martial world was actually called the imperial court.
Rong Yu, dressed in brocade, her demeanor dignified, said, "Liu Chang, the Sixth Master wants to go south with you to brave the martial world. Master Yan was worried, so he brought me here to take a look."
Liu Chang nodded, not daring to raise any objections.
The woman known as Sixth Master, "Huang Lian," had a strange expression on her face.
Rong Yu said, "Young Master Cao, Young Master Lu, Master Yan has something to discuss. Please step aside for a talk."
Cao Jie and Lu Jun rode closer. That "Master Yan" first reined his horse around and moved forward; once they had followed, he spoke with a sound transmission smile, "My name is Yan Jiaoran, from the Yan clan of Purple Illumination. This time I accompany Miss Rong Yu out of the capital, besides escorting the Sixth Master to meet with you, the National Teacher's Palace also has one question each to ask. Miss Rong Yu, shall I ask on your behalf?"
Liu Chang and the others halted their horses where they were.
When it came to the surname Yan of Purple Illumination, one of the Grand Pillar families of the Great Li Dynasty, both the court and the common people only knew of the Chief Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, Yan Yongfeng, and not of who Yan Jiaoran, who held no official rank, was.
But Yan Jiaoran was unequivocally one of the embroidered tiger's trusted confidants, because the selection and deployment of all the army-attached cultivators in the entire Great Li Dynasty was handled by Yan Jiaoran, and he could decide their promotions, demotions, and even lives without consulting National Teacher Cui Chan.
True top-tier noble clans either perfected a single "line" to the utmost, like the Guan family with the Ministry of Personnel, or the Cao clan with the border army. Or they were like the Yan family, with figures both front-stage and back-stage, each relied upon by the Son of Heaven and assisting a dynasty's National Teacher.
Rong Yu smiled and nodded, then sent a voice transmission, "Cao Jie, on this journey through the Bottle Gourd Continent, are you sure you have no Duan followers secretly tailing you?"
Cao Jie nodded. "No."
Rong Yu asked with a smile, "Really none?"
Cao Jie nodded emphatically. "Really none, absolutely none!"
Rong Yu asked no further and turned to Lu Jun. "Lu Jun, is Priest Yang comfortable letting you travel alone?"
Lu Jun laughed. "What's there to be uneasy about? Within the borders of the Great Li Dynasty, ordinary thieves and bandits can't stop us; even major mountain bandits and vicious people, if they run into us, wouldn't dare to act rashly."
Rong Yu nodded. "Caution is the mother of safety. Master Yan has arranged for Han Zhoujin, one of the Earthly Branches cultivators, to travel with you. I hope you two young masters won't find us meddlesome."
Cao Jie quickly said, "No trouble at all, how could it be trouble?"
Rong Yu smiled faintly. "Han Zhoujin already has a man she fancies."
Cao Jie and Lu Jun glanced at each other. The two princes sighed heavily in unison.
Finally, Rong Yu looked at the Sixth Master and said, "Sixth Master, out there, remember to be careful with your words and actions."
Song Lian laughed. "Sister Rong Yu, I know, I know. Sister Rong Yu's words are to be heeded like an imperial edict."
Rong Yu frowned slightly and glared. "Don't just let it go in one ear and out the other."
Song Lian squinted her eyes and laughed, cupping her fists. "I will, I will."
Song Lian was not unfamiliar with Rong Yu. Before, when she went to the National Teacher's Palace, there was nothing to talk about with that Fu Qing, but she had a very good relationship with Sister Rong Yu.
This was also one reason Yan Jiaoran had Han Zhoujin come along—Song Lian, after all, was a princess of the Great Li Song clan, a woman.
Song Lian carefully asked Rong Yu via voice transmission, "Why did my father allow me to leave the capital?"
Rong Yu replied calmly, "Since the Sixth Master dares not ask His Majesty, of course I dare not ask the National Teacher either."
Song Lian had to keep guessing the reason.
Anyway, for the first time, she was truly immersed in the martial world! Haha, she would definitely carve out a reputation for herself—"from north to south, undefeated." Just like... someone.
After that, Liu Chang rode slowly past and made sure to fist his palms in salute to that "Miss Rong Yu." His gang members, not knowing the reason, simply imitated their leader. Rong Yu returned the salute.
After the riding party sped up and headed for the ferry, Rong Yu said softly, "Gong Yan, please trouble yourself with the covert protection."
A beautiful woman in courtly attire appeared out of thin air on the road, smiling charmingly. "The King of Luo gave the order; how could I dare disobey?"
Second Prince Song Xu stood at the roadside, watching his younger sister ride off into the distance.
When young, his ambitions had spanned the four directions. Having read ten thousand books, he would resolutely leave home, carrying his satchel for study, traveling throughout the kingdom, walking ten thousand miles, traversing the great mountains and rivers, setting foot in the territories of a hundred prefectures. Then, upon returning home, he would emulate the ancient sages and sigh, "The Dao is here."
In the southern waters of the Hao Ran world, a blue-clad figure leaped high from the Resting Dragon Platform and dove into the seafloor.
Earlier, Liu Xiang had issued a decree, dispersing all spiritually aware aquatic creatures within ten thousand miles.
Deep in the Wild Abyss, Chen Qingliu, who had been confronting Bai Ze, finally put away his natal flying sword. For ten thousand miles, all the mountains and rivers had seemed still and unchanged, but the moment he sheathed his sword, they instantly shattered like cracking ice—a supreme divine power that had frozen even the river of time along with everything else.
Bai Ze's expression was calm. He flicked his sleeve to disperse the residual sword aura around him. Fei Ran found it shocking; placing himself in that position, he absolutely could not have done it as effortlessly as Master Bai Ze.
Zheng Juzhong's Yin Spirit and Yang Spirit, both at the fourteenth realm, went about their separate business, one south and one north. Xiao Xun had gone south, where she planned to rally a force and establish a separate sect in the Wild Abyss's fractured lands.
In the southeast of the Wild Abyss, Zheng Juzhong's true body still led those few former direct disciples of Zhou Mi, moving slowly through the landscape, in no hurry to join up with Xiao Xun.
In the Qing Ming world's Qi Province at the Mysterious Metropolis Abbey, Bai Ye, wearing a tiger-head hat, had again closed his door to cultivate. The new abbey leader, the royal Sun, quietly went out and found Wu Zhou.
In Ru Province at that nameless Spiritual Realm Abbey, Chang Bo and the youth Chen Cong had disappeared, leaving only a letter saying they had gone to visit relatives. At the end of the letter were some quite inspiring words: if they were lucky and recognized a relative, they could bring back a big donation of oil money for the abbey.
For the Dao, for the living, for wealth, for survival, for today's tomorrow—the mortal world is always so busy and bustling.