Chapter 6: Old Wine
On the mountain, there were bright moon and clear breeze, fine night and beautiful woman; below the mountain, there was a giant city with lanterns and torches, song and dance, and fine wine.
A figure in a blue robe, carrying a faint scent of the sea breeze, arrived at the summit of this great mountain. He looked around, his gaze wandering, searching briefly before finding the familiar aura of Zheng Dafeng. Casually breaking through layers of prohibitions, he came to the railing of the high pavilion.
Zheng Dafeng raised his hand and slapped it heavily against Chen Ping'an's, greatly pleased, exclaiming with surprise, "You got here so fast!"
It was just past the beginning of the Zi hour, not yet the middle of it. This meant that "today" had not yet passed, and Chen Ping'an had already endured and withstood that Heavenly Punishment. His tomorrow and his Great Path would have infinite possibilities.
Releasing his hand, Chen Ping'an apologized to the astonished woman, the mountain deity, "Mountain Lord Yin, I apologize for intruding uninvited."
He then turned to Zheng Dafeng and gave a rough explanation, "I didn't get through this ordeal unscathed all by myself. I don't have that kind of ability."
Zheng Dafeng waved his hand, "I don't care who or what you relied on, whether you hid or dodged. I just need to bring you back to Fallen Mountain safe and sound, so I can give a proper account to our niece-in-law."
Yin Ni frowned slightly and asked, "Are you Chen Ping'an?"
Why did he have no aura of a Daoist practitioner at all?
Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "I am the Dali National Preceptor who killed Yin Ji and his son Yin Miao."
Zheng Dafeng thought of Chen Ping'an's notorious reputation for being 'tender and gentle with the fairer sex,' and he couldn't help but worry a bit for Yin Ni's situation.
Earlier at the Crown Prince's residence, Cui Dongshan had closed the discussion with a few words about 'rectifying the source,' which was not only meant for the heir apparent Yin Mi but even more so for Yin Ni up on the mountain.
As for Old Master Han's thunderous rage, its meaning was quite clear: the Dashou Yin Clan wanted to seek justice from the Confucian Temple? Forget it. Whether the surname of the Dashou Kingdom would still be Yin tomorrow was questionable.
And that Junior Mentor of the Crown Prince's Household, putting on a posture of pleading for the people, didn't realize that Vice-Cult Leader Han had personally come to the Dashou capital precisely to prevent this national vendetta between the Dali Song Clan and the Dashou Yin Clan from spiraling out of control and directly turning into a private grudge between Fallen Mountain and the entire Dashou Dynasty. This was also one of the reasons for Old Master Han's fury. The Dashou scholars who could write such beautiful essays had already reached the central court, yet they turned out to be not only bad but also stupid. Moreover, among the civil and military officials participating in the discussion, few were entirely selfless.
Unexpectedly, Yin Ni said, "I don't care whether they live or die. There are plenty of people surnamed Yin in the Dashou Dynasty. For centuries, in this city I personally built and constructed, whoever wears the dragon robe and sits on the dragon throne, the Dashou Dynasty is still the Dashou Dynasty. I am just extremely curious how you managed to defeat Zhou Mi."
Chen Ping'an remained aloof, simply gazing at the brilliantly lit capital city. Every bit of the city fell into his sight as clear as day. He asked with some doubt, "Is Jiang Shangzhen not in the city?"
Zheng Dafeng rubbed his chin, his peripheral vision continuously sizing up Yin Ni, and replied with a casual smile, "We brothers each had our tasks. I stayed here to enjoy the scenery with Mountain Lord Yin. The big white goose is handling Old Master Han, and Vice-Mountain Lord Jiang went to drop a few harsh words to National Preceptor Liu Rao."
The reason he was so attentive to the subtle expressions on Yin Ni's pretty face was that Zheng Dafeng knew a truth: at this moment, when a mountain or river deity encountered Chen Ping'an, they would feel an irresistible 'emotion,' giving rise to extremely strong feelings of love or hate.
If it were hate, that would be simple. Given Yin Ni's status and cultivation, she couldn't do much to Chen Ping'an. But if her heart at this moment was... then Chen Ping'an would be his formidable rival!
After consulting Zheng Dafeng about the exact location of National Preceptor Liu Rao's private retreat, Chen Ping'an pressed his two fingers together, casually drew a ground-shrinking talisman, shimmering with golden light, and tossed it into the air. He grabbed the railing with one hand, vaulted over, stepped onto the talisman, and his figure vanished. He went straight to the outskirts of the capital, raised his arm, twisted it once, broke through several layers of illusionary spells and mind-maze formations of that hidden retreat, and arrived beside a locust tree.
Zheng Dafeng said softly, "Lady Yin, I happen to know a thing or two about talismans as well. To be honest, Chen Ping'an's ground-shrinking technique was taught by me back in the day. That kid is sharp; he learns quickly."
Yin Ni remained silent. At this moment, her bearing and demeanor seemed to monopolize the human definition of 'cold and beautiful.'
Zheng Dafeng almost stared in a daze. He shook his head and immediately changed strategy, saying, "Since Lady Yin is proficient in architecture and construction, that's another coincidence. I am an undisputed master in this field, worthy of being called a grandmaster. Take the layout of Fallen Mountain, for instance—it was all my handiwork. Many visitors to Fallen Mountain, such as Bai Ye, Yu Xuan, Xin Ji'an, and so on, all have nothing but praise..."
Yin Ni fanned herself gently with the round silk fan, a strand of hair at her temple swaying. She said indifferently, "Zheng, will you explode if you don't brag?"
Zheng Dafeng laughed heartily. Beating was affection, scolding was love—she was interested.
Earlier, that group of sword immortals had offered three sticks of incense. They hadn't stayed on the mountain but headed straight for the capital. Yin Ni then knew the overall situation tonight was settled.
Zheng Dafeng asked, "The clam creature wandered for many years without completely losing its spiritual wisdom—was it taken care of by that locust tree ancestor of the Yin Clan?"
Yin Ni nodded.
Zheng Dafeng said with confusion, "Why didn't you bring this up proactively? I figured it out. If it had been someone else, they might have missed this crucial truth. With the dispositions of Qi Tingji and Lu Zhi, your Dashou Dynasty would truly be in a precarious state, in danger of losing the mandate of heaven."
Yin Ni said, "How many of the common people in the Dashou Dynasty actually bear the surname Yin? No matter how many sword immortals from the Sword Qi Great Wall there are, no matter how high their killing power, this is still the Central Continent Divine Land. Besides, Vice-Cult Leader Han had already arrived in the capital ahead of time."
The implication of this Central Mountain Lord was that even if those sword immortals, out of anger, massacred the Yin clan members in the Dashou capital—including the 'orthodox' lines of the founding emperor and the second emperor, along with all distant branches—it would only be about three hundred people.
Zheng Dafeng chuckled, "Emperor Yin Ji had to go and provoke Fallen Mountain. The Yin Clan of Dashou is fortunate amidst misfortune."
Yin Ni said, "That's good."
The Dashou capital at the foot of the mountain had long been called by the Central Continent Divine Land as 'Mountain Lord Yin's city beneath her skirts.'
Mountain and river deities were completely different from Daoist cultivators. The latter sought to distance themselves from the mundane world, while the former had the deepest and most numerous entanglements with human society.
Day after day, year after year, listening to the heartfelt wishes of countless incense-burners, witnessing the cyclical right and wrong of the human world. Over time, Yin Ni and her kind easily developed a heavy sense of weariness.
When worldly affairs were at their most vibrant, like glue and lacquer, a profusion of flowers, everything seemed right, everything seemed good.
But for centuries, the scions of the Yin Clan came here seeking fame and fortune, seeking glory and wealth, seeking many children and blessings, seeking freedom from illness and disaster... They wanted everything.
Yin Ni suddenly asked, "If heaven and earth are a great furnace, what exactly is being refined? The seven emotions and six desires of mortal men? The cycle of life and death of sentient beings? The golden bodies of mountain and river deities, the Dao-hearts of cultivators?"
Zheng Dafeng smiled and said, "Questions this big, you should ask him."
Yin Ni recalled the magnificent scene from before and murmured, "Has he seen the Dao?"
Zheng Dafeng clapped his hand, feeling a bit annoyed. He had been so overjoyed that he had forgotten to ask Chen Ping'an about the specific details.
He truly dared not hope for too much. Even if Chen Ping'an had shown up looking like a sickly weakling or a walking medicine jar, Zheng Dafeng would have accepted it.
Zheng Dafeng probed, "Elder Sister Yin, do you have any secret method to contact Wei Po immediately? I want to report the good news to Fallen Mountain."
Yin Ni shook her head and said, "I dare not presume to be on terms with that Night Roaming God."
After thinking it over, Zheng Dafeng decided to use the Three Mountains Talisman to return to Fallen Mountain, to report safety to those who were worried about their mountain lord Chen Ping'an!
Yin Ni suddenly asked, "Am I really the reincarnation of that person?"
Zheng Dafeng couldn't help but laugh and teased, "She wouldn't be talking about 'that' and 'this' all the time."
Yin Ni shot the slovenly man a sidelong glance.
No matter how beautiful a maiden's features, it's hard to exude a thousand charms.
The capital of a great dynasty is almost always a city that never sleeps.
Qi Tingji and over a dozen other sword cultivators each wandered on their own. Those who loved drinking went together to a bustling tavern. Those who liked quiet walked in the silently closed temples. Those who wanted to watch the excitement crouched on a wall, observing two minor rivers-and-lakes gangs hacking at each other with knives on the street. In a nearby alley, yamen runners who had been paid had already hired people to prepare water carts and buckets, waiting for them to finish fighting before cleaning up. In a neighboring residence, a group of refined scholars were conducting a planchette séance to invite immortals. Not far away, a wandering Daoist was setting up an altar, chanting spells, and catching ghosts, but was thrown out of the house by a gust of demon wind. From the beam of an old mansion came a soft, sweet giggle...
Old Deafy was the most serious; he searched the Dashou capital for any good cultivation seedlings, and when he found them, he would take them back to Huaying Peak.
Poaching disciples wasn't honorable? If they angered him, the second-ranked guest elder of Fallen Mountain, he would tear down the imperial palace and dig up the Yin mausoleums.
Lu Zhi ordered a bowl of stewed noodles at a roadside stall in the night market. She always felt that if she looked up, she would see a short, dark-skinned man in a bamboo hat with a bamboo knife at his waist, standing there with a languid air, running his hand through his hair, laughing as he spoke some earthy, lewd jokes.
At the private retreat of the Dashou National Preceptor, beneath the illumination of the ancient locust tree and great candle, the entire place was bathed in golden light.
Liu Rao had his disciple bring a bench for this collapsed true lord. Jiang Shangzhen thanked the young girl, shook out his long gown, and sat down with a flourish.
Their clothing and features at this moment, shimmering in the layers of candlelight, looked like the gilding technique on painted clay statues in temples.
Jiang Shangzhen asked with a smile, "Liu Rao, the pillar of the Dashou heavenly mandate has collapsed. As the national preceptor, you don't even care? Instead, you hide here in silence. What, did you calculate that I would visit, and you're prepared to die for your sovereign?"
The young girl was stunned. Her master was the Dashou National Preceptor? If her master could be the national preceptor, then was their claim of being the sixth dynasty of the Haoran world a bit of an exaggeration?
Liu Rao smiled and said, "The great pillar of the nation's fortune has collapsed by about half. With such a commotion outside, even if I weren't at the Ascension Realm, even if I weren't the national preceptor, just an Immortal or Jade Purity, I would have sensed it. As for divination and calculation on the mountain, it's not my strong suit. I didn't foresee that you would visit me here tonight."
Jiang Shangzhen was skeptical, "I have a friend who said your talent for Dao cultivation was dull, that you were an Immortal who could hardly be carved, and that you attained the Dao just after the rain?"
Liu Rao nodded, "I took a shortcut."
Jiang Shangzhen asked, "The pillar of Dashou's fortune didn't directly collapse. Did you secretly support it, and for that, you damaged a lot of your cultivation?"
Liu Rao said, "It's nothing remarkable. One eats the sovereign's grain and does the sovereign's business."
Jiang Shangzhen chuckled, "After this battle, can Liu Rao still hold onto the Ascension Realm?"
Liu Rao said, "With great enemies before us, one must always bluff."
Jiang Shangzhen nodded, "Hard work."
Liu Rao said indifferently, "Since I've come to this human world anyway, whether it's hardship or blessing, I ought to walk through it seriously, properly."
Liu Rao was an eccentric. He delighted in wandering the mortal world, treating the most powerful position of national preceptor as an honorary title similar to Grand Commandant or Grand Tutor. The old man often traveled, working as a wandering fortune-teller, reading horoscopes, frequently setting up a stall at crossroads to interpret characters and calculate fortunes, meticulously analyzing people's annual fate. He had also been a sugar-figure blower wandering the streets and alleys, sold sorghum wine in the marketplace, and even worked as a porter on the roads of the Central Mountain for a few years.
Because he had always deeply loved that Mountain Lord Yin. As a youth, he had gone to the Jade Empyrean Temple on the mountaintop to offer incense, saw that lifelike painted statue, fell in love at first sight, and planted the root of deep affection.
In his youth, he mistakenly believed that if he achieved fame, rank, and prosperity, he could win her favor. But even when Liu Rao became an Immortal and took the position of national preceptor, going to the Jade Empyrean Temple on behalf of the emperor to fast and pray for rain, Yin Ni still treated him with polite aloofness.
In his moments of despondency, the old man would occasionally use a somewhat vulgar local dialect to mock himself, saying, "A waste of a dick."
Jiang Shangzhen turned his head and asked with a smile, "May I ask the young lady's name?"
The girl was clearly one who dared to be fierce only among her own kind. Seeing a stranger, she became shy and blushed, saying softly, "My name is Jin Li."
Another guest arrived. Vice-Mountain Lord Jiang immediately stood up to welcome him. Liu Rao's breath caught in his throat. Although the other party showed no murderous intent at all, Liu Rao already felt his Dao-heart showing signs of instability.
Chen Ping'an got straight to the point, "How about changing both the national surname and the national preceptor at the same time? Liu Rao, what do you think?"
Liu Rao said, "That would only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. In a dozen or twenty years, Dashou would still be Dashou. On the surface, it's a big ruckus. National Preceptor Chen and the sword immortals leave after dusting off their hands. In the end, it's just satisfying anger, no real meaning."
"The Dashou Dynasty's accession was illegitimate. Its founding was rotten—the founding emperor privately wove a dragon robe and bullied a lone widow and her orphan to seize the kingdom."
"For the Dashou Dynasty to truly change its face, from seemingly colossal but bloated, from false strength to true vigor and leanness, with a backbone of iron... there needs to be deaths, there needs to be blood!"
"As for who becomes the next emperor, it will be decided by me."
Liu Rao's answer surprised Jiang Shangzhen, who immediately began to regard him with a new respect. How did this sound a bit like...?
Sure enough, Liu Rao continued, "I have been deeply studying Embroidered Tiger's practical-statecraft scholarship for a full twenty years. I modestly claim to have gained some insights."
Chen Ping'an sat down beside Jiang Shangzhen and said with a smile, "Indeed, some insights."
Liu Rao raised one palm, "You all don't need to act. You won't even have to bear a fraction of the blame. Because my hands, Liu Rao's hands, will be stained with much more blood. Imperial relatives, capital officials, frontier soldiers, cultivators—all will be included. What I want is rebellion in various regions. I want to see the blood of ambitious men, as well as the blood of loyal ministers who give their all for the state. I will use life and death as a sieve, and within twenty years, I will select the true civil and military officials of Dashou, the pillars of the state."
Jiang Shangzhen was full of admiration. Liu Rao, it would be a waste if he didn't become emperor, given he was qualified to be a national preceptor.
Chen Ping'an remained unmoved, simply asking with a smile, "When you actually face Yin Ni, will you be able to speak fluently?"
Liu Rao was stunned for a moment, then immediately lost his nerve.
---
Zheng Dafeng returned to Fallen Mountain. He first went to the house at the foot of the mountain, didn't knock, but listened outside for a moment to the young Daoist's thunderous snoring.
Then he went to the Sword-Returning Lake and first told Ning Yao, who was guarding Zhu Su's seclusion, that Chen Ping'an was fine, truly and really, the storm had settled.
Ning Yao was sitting in a bamboo chair under the thatched eaves. She let out a long breath. After the relief and release, she finally showed a trace of fatigue.
Zheng Dafeng vigorously rubbed his face and said with a smile, "Don't hold any grudge against Daoist Priest Xianwei. Of course, this first Daoist of the human world did indeed serve to suppress Chen Ping'an's Great Path on behalf of the world. With the slightest misstep, Chen Ping'an could have been suppressed by 'him.' Even now, looking back, Chen Ping'an's decision in this matter was truly done to the point where 'Heaven doesn't know, Earth doesn't know, you don't know, and I don't know.' Anyone who knows the truth, who wouldn't be terrified in retrospect?"
Ning Yao nodded.
Zheng Dafeng stood up, "I'll go talk to Wei Po and Sword Immortal Mi for a while, let them relax."
In the dead of night, the Bamboo Tower lineage of Fallen Mountain held an emergency meeting. Chen Lingjun, who belonged to the late-night-snack lineage, was also called to the Bamboo Tower by Nuan Shu to 'attend as a non-voting member.'
Everyone sat around a stone table, spreading out nine geographical maps of the Haoran Nine Provinces, along with several well-known divine-expert books that specifically wrote about the customs and scenic wonders of the various provinces.
Guo Zhujiu, as the alliance leader, also brought her two dog-legged branch leaders, the principal and vice-chiefs, to help with the planning.
Pei Qian picked up a brush and first drew a rough travel route on the Vase Bottle Province map. Following the plan that Chen Lingjun and Zheng Dafeng had previously worked out, it was roughly the same route as the mountain lord's first southern journey in his early years. For example, after passing through Colorful Robe Nation, they would follow that Dragon-Descending Path, take an immortal family ferry, and go to the newly built Old Dragon City... As for the specific route choices outside the 'rough' plan, the principle was just two words: follow fate.
Chen Lingjun pointed to the southernmost part of the map and whispered, "Pei Qian, circle this part too. The ten-li lotus pond near Old Dragon City is a scenic spot that Sword Immortal Mi rebuilt with his own money. Before we board the trans-province ferry to Parasol Leaf Province, we should go check it out. Then we can write a letter back to Sword Immortal Mi, letting him know if the Fu family of Old Dragon City has been diligent, and whether they embezzled any funds... Ah, I forgot Mi Yu is going to the Barren Wastes. That's a bit troublesome. I wonder what the fee is for flying sword messages over there. When we're out and about, we have to be frugal with expenses. I'll go ask Mi Fu for a few immortal coins. We'll settle up later, more or less. I won't make a single copper coin profit off our own brother."
The green-clad child went and came back in a hurry, looking dejected, not even flinging his sleeves. It turned out that when he found Mi Yu, that bastard was sitting alone on the steps drinking, and just gave him a 'roll' as a tip, saying he had a life but no money.
Chen Lingjun wasn't annoyed. Going to the Barren Wastes meant being millions of miles away from home, far from that turtle shell. For a wandering playboy like Mi Yu, being anxious was only human.
Mi Yu was in a bad mood, naturally because he was worried about the delicate situation on Fallen Mountain. Xiao Mo and Xie Gou had both dropped in cultivation realm, and the Hidden Official had dropped to a level where he couldn't drop any further. Mi Yu couldn't help but be concerned.
So he was hesitating about whether to replace Xiao Mo, who was about to enter seclusion, as the death-sworn agent.
But he had agreed with Qi Tingji to go to the Barren Wastes together, and he had already made the harsh vow of 'washing his sword.' It wouldn't be convenient to change the itinerary at will. So Mi Yu just sat by himself, drinking in melancholy, drowning his sorrows.
For cultivators, years are long, they disregard cold and heat, but this so-called 'clearing the heart and desires, severing the mortal world' was just a figure of speech. They feared suddenly realizing that the people who knew about something back then were now only themselves.
So when Mi Yu learned at the last minute that there was still a Heavenly Punishment that the Hidden Official had to withstand alone, Mi Yu was utterly heartbroken.
A person with a delicate and sentimental heart, drowning sorrows in drink would only make sorrow more sorrowful. Since ancient times, the sentimental are only troubled by the ruthless? That might not be true.
Mi Yu fell backward and lay down, looking at the bright moon in the sky. He raised the gourd sword-nurturing flask named Haoliang, which also served as a wine flask, in front of his eyes, blocking the circle of the moon.
Mi Yu turned his head and found that the reclusive Accountant Wei had somehow come and sat down beside him.
Accountant Wei's 'book has its own beauty' was a completely different 'view' from that of Mi Yu, Zheng Dafeng, Daoist Priest Xianwei, and the others.
Wei Wenlong gave the impression of being taciturn and uncommunicative, spending all day with account books and numbers. But tonight, under the bright moon, he couldn't hold back.
"When I was young, I went back and forth between the pawnshop and the pharmacy, enduring countless contemptuous looks, regarded as an unlucky jinx."
"With a pair of small straw sandals, I traveled between the wilderness and home, suffering enough hardships, my hands and feet covered in calluses."
"The taste of this kind of life, we've only heard about. Bitter to sweet, the road full of bumps and hardships, yet he always says that no one has it easy."
Mi Yu immediately put away his gourd and sat up, greatly surprised. He had thought Wei Wenlong was just a bookworm who only knew how to do accounts.
Mi Yu asked, "Want a drink?"
Wei Wenlong waved his hand; he didn't drink, and he indeed wasn't fond of alcohol.
"To have a skill to rely on is a very fortunate thing. I cherish it greatly. I thank the ancestral master for giving me this rice bowl, so I revere Heaven. I am also grateful to my master for passing on the teachings without expecting anything in return, so I respect my teacher. Similarly, I deeply love this Fallen Mountain where everyone's heart is bright and clear, so I thank the Earth."
"You all don't harbor any dissatisfaction because of my low Dao power yet high position; instead, you treat me with respect and courtesy. I sincerely thank you for your understanding and tolerance."
Mi Yu was stunned by Wei Wenlong's sincere words.
Sword Immortal Mi was stuck for a long time, only managing to blurt out, "Accountant Wei, I never noticed before, but you're quite talented."
Wei Wenlong was also stuck for a long time. I pour my heart out to you, and you respond with sarcasm? Accountant Wei said flatly, "Thank you for the compliment, Sword Immortal Mi."
The Law-Keeper Changming also happened to be taking a walk here, but there were no formal pleasantries; they just nodded to each other.
Zheng Dafeng came running all the way from the foot of the mountain, plopped down beside Mi Yu, and said, "Sword Immortal Mi, you can rest assured and go to the Barren Wastes battlefield."
Mi Yu asked with both surprise and anxiety, "Are you sure?"
Zheng Dafeng smiled, "The dust has settled. Absolutely certain."
Earlier at sea, passing by that Resting Dragon Platform, Zheng Dafeng had seen a few figures he didn't recognize but could guess who they were.
They were Liu Xiang, Chen Qingliu, and a dispirited Wang Zhu. Also, a young-looking Mr. Sanshan Jiuhou.
At that time, Chen Qingliu had asked with a smile, "If the Age of Dharma Ending really is brought about by Zhou Mi, what should we do?"
He remembered that in his younger, more arrogant days, he had also made some bold boasts.
"You Daoists who don't burp, don't fart, don't shit, cultivating immortal arts all your lives seeking longevity, only knowing that the mortal world is rolling red dust and the bitter sea is boundless, so you hide in deep mountains and great marshes, not realizing that the golden elixir you form might be a fake, the Dao you cultivate might be a false path. You don't know how to turn bitterness into joy. You don't know what is a priceless treasure, you don't know what heaven and earth are, you don't know who the Old Man in Heaven is, you don't know the difference and similarity between Heaven's heart and the human heart. You cultivate Daoist techniques and immortal arts your whole life, yet you still don't know the character 'immortal.'"
Liu Xiang had said with a smile, "What can we do? Weave straw sandals."
Wang Zhu had a knowing smile.
That was probably a joke only native cultivators of Vase Bottle Province would understand.
Wang Zhu's reckless actions had cost her a great deal in her Great Path. As for her unauthorized relocation of the Eastern Sea's water transport, how the Confucian Temple in the Central Continent would punish her, Wang Zhu no longer cared.
But she had never felt so at peace. Even standing next to Chen Qingliu at this moment, she no longer felt intimidated. Thinking of that homeland and that story, she no longer felt so anguished.
Mr. Sanshan Jiuhou said, "As long as there is one Earth Immortal in the world, as long as there is one ghost in the yang world, as long as there is one clay-molded deity in a temple that can open its eyes to see into people's hearts, the human world will still be the human world."
In this era where one wave of unrest has yet to settle and another rises, there are too many people who feel completely in the right, and too few who dare to claim they are truly good people.
He remembered that ten thousand years ago, around a bonfire, an ancient Daoist had asked what the future would hold. The sword cultivator Zuo You knew the answer but did not speak.
Counting from now, about ten thousand years hence, what would the state of the human heart and the world be like? Perhaps A Liang would see some of it?
On a canal, on a bridge named Gongchen, there was a short, stubbly man, his arms crossed over his chest. He had been standing there for a long time, staring blankly at the bustling night scene of the streets hung with fish-shaped lanterns, at the strange clothes worn by the women passing back and forth. He waited a moment, then asked a passing pretty young lady, "Is there a place called Dragon Spring around here?"
The woman looked at him with strange eyes, completely unable to understand what he was saying. He raised his hand and wrote the characters 'Dragon Spring' in the air. She smiled brightly and nodded, pointing in a direction.
The woman just thought, his handwriting was too... awful. She only barely managed to confirm the place name. Then she thought, could this be some clumsy flirting technique?
The man, however, was full of high spirits. "My calligraphy, my accomplishments in calligraphy, are really something else. Truly, I can go anywhere in the world without fear." He didn't care whether the woman understood what he was saying. He clasped his hands and said something with a smile.
The woman had an awkward expression, smiled, and quietly walked away. The man caught on, raised his arms, and smoothed his hair. "Sure enough, no matter where, it's all about the face!"
Find a place, drink!
The woman walked down Gongchen Bridge and couldn't help but look back at that strange man.
She still hadn't understood what he said. Probably it was a self-introduction.
"Miss, my name is A Liang, the Liang meaning goodness. I am a swordsman."
---
In the Dali capital, the young monk Houjue had finished donating oil money to the temple.
In that immortal family inn, innkeepers Zhou Haijing and Gai Yan began tallying the day's income. When they added it up, they found they had earned two more Lesser Summer Coins than yesterday. They exchanged smiles.
Zhou Haijing's state of mind was different now. In fact, aside from her, all the other cultivators of the Earth Branch were extremely confident in their cultivation.
Since the strength of the Earth Branch's combat power and killing ability was mainly determined by her, she had no reason not to break through to the Stop Realm.
In short, the lower limit of the Earth Branch's strength was determined by Yuan Huajing, Gai Yan, and the other eleven, but how high the upper limit could go depended on Zhou Haijing's martial rank.
So how she should improve her martial realm cultivation became an urgent priority. The prefix 'pseudo-Ascension' for the Dali Earth Branch was indeed a bit of an eyesore.
In the southern skies of Vase Bottle Province, a group of Dali military ferries, led by a Dali sword boat, slowly passed over the territory of Sunny Slope Mountain, where 'sword immortals were as common as clouds.'
At the Dali capital ferry terminal, Sixth Master Huang Lian, Canal Commander Liu Shuai, and others lined up to board an immortal family ferry heading south to the auxiliary capital. The two crown princes, whose documents listed them as Cao Lue and Lu Jun, went to the ferry's tavern for a midnight snack. When they were full and it was time to pay, one leaned back, patted his belly, and belched with satisfaction, while the other picked his teeth with a toothpick and thought the wine was mediocre. They looked at each other, dumbfounded, each communicating with shocked expressions: Are you telling me you left home without money?!
After a moment's thought, they divided the tasks. Cao Lue kept his composure and ordered another snack. Lu Jun ran out to invite Sixth Master and Gao Shi to come over for a little drink.
In a tavern by the River of Sweet Flags, a new stranger—a young girl whose 'official position was neither too high nor too low, and whose salary was neither too much nor too little'—was writing a letter home by lamplight in a new room with clean bedding. She wrote in graceful script with simple and plain text: she told her parents not to worry, she was doing well in the capital, had saved a lot of money, and had just changed to a new employer who was very kind. At the end of the letter, she asked her younger brother to write back when he could, and remember to include a book list—her older sister could afford them all. The girl thought carefully and decided not to mention that she had recognized a sworn brother surnamed Cao, nor did she dare say he was a Dali capital official, afraid her parents would worry and think she was being cheated in the capital. This letter would be sent out at dawn.
In the Dashou capital of the Central Continent Divine Land, the streets and alleys were bustling with activity, urgently informing officials to get up and go out.
Morning court was not unusual; every nation had it, except those sovereigns obsessed with Dao cultivation, carpentry, or beauties. But tonight, the Dashou Dynasty set a precedent for the Haoran world by inaugurating 'night court.'
The hundreds of civil and military officials of Dashou, summoned inexplicably to attend court, were either sleepy and dazed or flushed from drinking, having just extricated themselves from wine tables and dens of rouge. Occasionally, an official of clean living would stand at the back of the hall.
Crown Prince Yin Mi had changed clothes and sat on the dragon throne, but his face was ashen.
National Preceptor Liu Rao, who had not shown his face in public for years, stood beside a man in a blue robe.
Liu Rao didn't beat around the bush. The three things he said were each more shocking than the last.
"The late emperor Yin Ji died in the Dali capital. Crown Prince Yin Mi ascends the throne. This matter has been recorded in the Central Continent Confucian Temple. Anyone who arbitrarily pursues it will be tried for treason."
The hall erupted in uproar, murmurs like buzzing flies gathering into thunder.
"Yin Mi still lacks experience. From now on, I, Liu Rao, will assist the new emperor in governing the state. I have already discussed this with Mountain Lord Yin Ni, so no court debate is necessary."
Some people had already begun to openly question Liu Rao's overreach and usurpation of power. More officials looked at the female mountain lord. Unfortunately, Yin Ni remained silent, expressionless.
"I have already discussed with His Majesty. The Dashou Dynasty will regard Dali as its suzerain state. The Dashou monarch, National Preceptor Liu Rao, and the Minister of Rites will travel to Vase Bottle Province annually to pay tribute."
Under the gaze of all eyes, Liu Rao extended his hand, introducing the man beside him. "The person beside me is the Dali National Preceptor."
Liu Rao said, "You might not recognize his face, but you must have heard his name."
The man smiled and said, "My surname is Chen, my given name Ping'an. My ancestral home is Lizhu Cave Heaven."