# Chapter 51: Thirty Years Seeking the Sword Guest
Nowadays, the refined scholars of Bottle Gourd Continent would read Daoist alchemy poems, transcribe Buddhist gathas and verses, appreciate the mirrored flowers and moonlit waters of the mountains, and read the salacious novels written by impoverished literati down below... Furthermore, they might have two additional pastimes compared to people from other continents: circulating a certain brilliantly written travelogue of mountains and waters, full of both tender romance and bizarre wonders, and telling the story of a fellow villager and that Sword Qi Great Wall. After all, the travelogue was entirely fabricated, while the latter was a true record—a real person and a real event.
Chen Ping'an?
The newly appointed State Preceptor of Great Li, hailing from Fallen Mountain, who had walked the Sword Qi Great Wall?
Of course Fu Zheng... didn't believe it! Who would be fooled that easily?
Even if the girl was naive, she wasn't as ignorant as the Water God Wang Xian, who had never even heard of Jing Hao from Flowing Xia Continent. She had at least set her heart on becoming a top-grade informant for the Ministry of Justice... well, a candidate at least. Flipping through various intelligence reports on mountains and waters was routine for her. Even though the other party had clearly stated his name and mountain headquarters, she would sooner die than believe it.
A simple fact: that treacherous Prefect Shen, even if he was a concealed Nascent Soul cultivator, or even a far-aiming Jade Purity cultivator, or even if you gave him another realm—say, an Immortal—so what? Where would it warrant the personal intervention of a Great Li State Preceptor?
Back then, Prefect Shen had been executed in battle by the supervising officer of the Great Li border army. After death, he transformed into a fierce ghost, and somehow cultivated himself into a ghost king, entrenched in this place. Would he dare cause any trouble for Great Li? He would be too busy hiding. All these years of skulking about, never daring to act brazenly—wasn't that precisely because he feared being caught red-handed by the Central March Patrol Office and eliminated on the spot?
If not for the "Mountain Founder" who looked like a child having prepared the groundwork beforehand, she probably would have laughed her teeth off. Such a shoddy honey trap, trying to fool her, of all people?
Chen Lingjun was thoroughly amused. He didn't blame Fu Zheng. If he were in her shoes, he wouldn't believe it either.
It was like... if Old Immortal Jing Hao casually dragged over some roadside cultivator and claimed he was the Dragon-Slaying One, would Chen Lingjun believe it?
Chen Lingjun asked tentatively, "Mountain Lord, on this incognito journey, don't you have Wei Yeyou or Deity Jin accompanying you?"
Chen Ping'an smiled. "If I were to trouble two deities to accompany me, would it still count as an incognito visit?"
Chen Lingjun nodded. "That's how it's always arranged in the plays."
Chen Ping'an pointed at Chen Lingjun's Yang Spirit projection and introduced him to the girl. "His name is Chen Lingjun, Daoist name Jingqing."
Fu Zheng was stunned, her voice trembling. "The Jingqing Ancestor of Fallen Mountain?!"
It was like a secret code—instantly matched!
Ever since that ritual inquiry at Zhengyang Mountain, there had been much talk on Bottle Gourd Continent about the two "little ones" of Fallen Mountain possessing great divine powers.
Unfortunately, during that celebration, Zhengyang Mountain had employed sealing measures, preventing the viewing of the appearances of Fallen Mountain's registered members through mirrored flowers and moonlit waters. No rubbing replicas of the scene had circulated in the market either. It was said that a few copies had occasionally appeared at some immortal ferry ports, but they were quickly bought up at high prices by Zhengyang Mountain and secretly destroyed.
As soon as Chen Lingjun heard the title "Ancestor Jingqing", he seemed unable to smile anymore. It sounded like an insult.
Chen Ping'an waved his hand, pulling Chen Lingjun's true body to this spot. The Yang Spirit returned to its original form, and the separated Yin Spirits that had been secretly escorting the two women also returned to this body.
Chen Lingjun's true body had just been listening intently, smugly boasting to Zhong Qian, "Brother Zhong, did you hear that? Out here, I, Chen Lingjun, am also a person of great renown, a bona fide divine figure! Haha, once I get back to the mountain, I'll have to make Old Cook and Wei Yeyou speak to me with more respect..."
Now the expression of the green-clad child froze, as if struck by a petrification spell.
You say you are Chen Ping'an—Fu Zheng couldn't believe it. But if she happened to encounter the Jingqing Ancestor of Fallen Mountain, she could understand that a bit more, barely accept it.
Chen Ping'an said, "Let's walk and talk."
Chen Lingjun followed beside the mountain lord, habitually flicking his sleeves, frowning as he spoke rapidly: "Mountain Lord, I've roughly gotten the details from the two female cultivators. The situation at Tidal Pearl Beach can be temporarily wrapped up for now, no need for urgent action. Inside Prefect Shen's domain, there are few good people, almost none. I've already noted their names and physical features. I also learned about several mountain and water spirits colluding in secret with Prefect Shen and Lady Fox. They are officially enshrined proper deities by the court, yet they insist on wallowing in the same mire with these scoundrels—even more detestable! I was planning to deal with Prefect Shen first, collect the evidence of their crimes, make an ironclad case that leaves them no room for denial, then go after them one by one. Even if I have to take the case all the way to the Central March Deity's office, I would be in the right..."
Chen Ping'an nodded, smiling. "Quite methodical."
Chen Lingjun grinned. "I always think about what the mountain lord would do in such a situation, and then I follow suit. To be honest, it's extremely taxing and exhausting."
The girl walked on the other side of the blue-robed man, not daring to walk abreast with him, staying half a step behind.
Chen Ping'an turned his head and smiled. "Miss Fu is so young and already at the Cavern Dwelling realm. Master Qian has taken on a fine disciple."
Fu Zheng was a registered disciple of the Azure Mane Sect on the border of the current Cloud Soaring Dynasty. As Lady Fox of Tidal Pearl Beach had said, it was indeed a small, obscure sect. If it were in a vassal state like Qiu Kingdom, it might still put on airs as mountain immortals, but in the Cloud Soaring Dynasty, which inherited seventy to eighty percent of the territory of the former White Frost Dynasty, it didn't amount to much.
Chen Ping'an was slightly surprised. At her age, reaching the Cavern Dwelling realm meant Fu Zheng could truly be called a prodigy in cultivation.
Within the former White Frost Dynasty, there were now several grand Daoist estates and immortal mansions with unbroken lineages. Didn't they bother to consult with the Azure Mane Sect?
Fu Zheng said nervously, "Chen... Immortal Master, the main reason I managed to reach the Cavern Dwelling realm was due to a top-grade elixir my master gave me. It was by chance, pure luck. Apart from my master, the sect leader and ancestors didn't think I would succeed before I went into seclusion."
After Fu Zheng broke through to the Cavern Dwelling realm, the Azure Mane Sect also bestowed a precious treasure upon her as a congratulatory gift. Master Qian Gong'en, knowing his own end was near, spared no effort and even sacrificed his own lifespan to extract two spiritual artifacts—one offensive and one defensive—and transferred them to Fu Zheng, who fortunately managed to refine them into her lifebound objects. Thus, Fu Zheng possessed three top-grade spiritual artifacts, which allowed Tidal Pearl Beach to suffer a silent loss. In battles and duels below the Golden Core stage, magical treasures played a significant role.
Lady Fox captured her but didn't kill her, choosing instead to gift her to the wine-loving and lustful Prefect Shen. She probably intended for the latter to profit both in wealth and in women, exchanging her for some more substantial benefits from Prefect Shen's illicit shrine.
Chen Ping'an released a wisp of his consciousness, quickly searching through a certain city within the replica Night Boat ship in his heart's lake, but failed to find the name "Qian Gong'en" or any related information. He said, "My apologies, I haven't heard of your master's name before. That is my oversight."
"However, Master Qian should be affiliated with Green Wave Pavilion. I suspect the informant who liaised with you is most likely a subordinate of Jiang Mian."
In recent years, Great Li's Green Wave Pavilion had three heads in the south. One of them was Li Baozhen, who had recently been promoted to the first Chief of the Zhizao Bureau of Yu Province. However, his jurisdiction covered the southeastern part of Bottle Gourd Continent's intelligence network; the former White Frost Dynasty was not under him. But knowing Li Baozhen's nature, he must have been secretly meddling. Jiang Mian, on the other hand, came from the Great Li border army, unlike Li Baozhen, who was a latecomer to intelligence work.
"Previously, Great Li's capital held a ceremony. On the surface, to ensure nothing went wrong, the court mobilized three batches of elite forces from Great Li's territories, vassal states, and the south of the Great River, successively entering the capital. At that time, Jiang Mian brought seven men—all veteran spies that Great Li had planted within and around the Cloud Soaring Dynasty. They had seniority, experience, and battle achievements."
Hearing the name "Jiang Mian", the girl's eyes lit up. She hurriedly said, "Right, right! My master often mentioned a figure in the past, but never gave a name, only called him 'Boss Jiang'. Every time he mentioned him, he would become spirited, as if he had been drinking. He said it was Boss Jiang who brought him into the trade—half a master, half a superior. I asked my master what rank 'Boss Jiang' held in the Great Li intelligence apparatus, but he never would tell me more."
Chen Lingjun scratched his head. This little girl really didn't understand officialdom rules and worldly affairs.
Fortunately, the mountain lord didn't mind and continued, "Jiang Mian and his men entered the capital for several reasons. First, to close the net and conduct a large-scale purge of enemy spies and death warriors, preventing anyone from causing trouble during the ceremony—precautionary measures. Second, it was equivalent to reporting for duty in the capital; everyone needed to go through the procedures at the Ministry of Justice's Evaluation Department. Third, there was to be a merit-based reward, routine promotions, and reassignment of tasks. For instance, among Jiang Mian's seven men, most of their positions changed somewhat."
Fu Zheng diligently recorded these unheard-of insider details of officialdom, but the girl was more interested in the size of "Old Jiang's" official hat. "When Boss Jiang arrived at your Great Li capital, what rank of officials could he discuss matters with? Vice Minister of Justice? Minister?"
Chen Lingjun was exasperated. If this little girl ever met their Chief Xie, they would probably hit it off.
Chen Ping'an said, "Our Great Li dynasty has three intelligence agencies. Green Wave Pavilion is just one of them. Within Green Wave Pavilion, Jiang Mian ranks... in the top twenty. In recent years, Green Wave Pavilion has been nominally managed by a man named Yan Jiaoran, but the actual affairs are handled by two women in the State Preceptor's Mansion. Their names are Rong Yu and Fu Qing. You might meet the latter someday—provided you go to Qi Ford, then continue north, travel through Ju Province, see the true customs of Great Li, and return to your hometown still willing to be a spy."
Fu Zheng asked curiously, "Have you met Boss Jiang?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head with a smile. "Not yet."
Fu Zheng asked softly, "Is it because Boss Jiang's official hat is too small, or is the State Preceptor too busy with affairs?"
Chen Ping'an said, "A bit of both."
Fu Zheng had thought "State Preceptor Chen" would gloss over it with some polite words, but she never expected such a candid answer.
Chen Lingjun, too busy being happily amused, hadn't thought of a certain significant issue that could be either big or small.
That is, for Fu Zheng, the Great Li Song clan, which had returned half of Bottle Gourd Continent, was ultimately a foreign nation.
Thus, if she became a spy for Great Li, it would inevitably be considered treason and collusion with the enemy—not even a suspicion, but a fact.
Fu Zheng's expression darkened. She seemed about to speak but stopped.
She was young and had no deep feelings about that extremely brutal war. She had only heard that when the barbarian army from the Wildlands landed on Bottle Gourd Continent, her sect had scattered. The sect leader and ancestors had emptied the divine throne and treasury. From the Battle of Old Dragon City presided over by King Song Mu of Luo, to the Battle of the Southern March where Grand General Su Gaoshan died in battle—two consecutive great battles and desperate struggles—not a single figure from her sect was seen. After the war ended, immortal mansions like the Azure Mane Sect returned to their homeland overnight, either repairing their original sites or choosing new locations to continue their incense... It seemed the war had no impact at all. A wretched flight was instead embellished as a journey of cultivation and refinement of the mortal heart.
Fu Zheng strongly disagreed with this. But what truly made Fu Zheng determined to become a spy, besides her respect for her master, were two other reasons she was unwilling to mention to "outsiders."
The former White Frost Dynasty's loss of its mandate was attributed to excessive leniency. In Fu Zheng's view, the new Cloud Soaring Dynasty was even worse. She had once accompanied her sect's elders on a tour of border garrison towns and personally witnessed several veterans who had participated in the Battle of Old Dragon City. Not only were their later years bleak, but they dared not even mention having fought as soldiers of the Great Li border army, lest they suffer repercussions, be ostracized, and endure cold mockery. Fu Zheng had personally witnessed a scene: a lame old veteran went to the county office to claim his government relief silver, which had been embezzled, but was beaten out by the gatekeeper and fell on the street. The gatekeeper laughingly told the old man that since he still had a few years left to live, he might as well beg his way north and go ask the Great Li auxiliary capital's Ministry of War for his due.
Furthermore, from what Fu Zheng saw and heard outside the mountains, she found that the Cloud Soaring Hong clan's actions were always beautifully crafted in official documents—like an embroidered pillow, all show and no substance. They always treated mountain immortals with great courtesy. Yet many sects that had moved into their territory from the north behaved no differently than bandits and rebels. They were still honored guests of generals, ministers, and high officials... Without the existing example of how Great Li had governed the mountain world of an entire continent, probably no one would find anything wrong. With Great Li as a comparison, it seemed impossible to play dumb and deceive oneself.
After hesitating, Fu Zheng still spoke to the man and the unmistakable Ancestor Jingqing, roughly confiding these concerns.
"In terms of righteousness and the hearts of the people, this is wrong." Chen Ping'an nodded, paused for a moment, then continued, "In terms of a single family's national affairs... it's hard to say."
Fu Zheng was even more surprised. Was he implying that the Cloud Soaring Hong clan hadn't done anything wrong?
Chen Ping'an didn't explain further. "Setting aside the identity of Great Li's State Preceptor, I would not advise Fu Zheng to fill her master Qian Gong'en's position and become a Great Li spy."
Fu Zheng was completely confused.
"Great Li can do without an excellent spy named Fu Zheng, but an Azure Mane Sect that urgently needs to change its customs cannot lack a future Earth Immortal who can face herself without any guilt."
Then the blue-robed man added a strange remark: "Unless one completely forgets and deceives oneself, any hole or pitfall on the path of the heart must either be filled with greater divinity or with more humanity. This process of constantly filling a bottomless pit will make things... somewhat difficult for us."
Fu Zheng asked doubtfully, "What to do?"
Chen Ping'an smiled. "Endure it."
Fu Zheng chuckled and gradually became certain that this man beside her was definitely not the Great Li State Preceptor Chen Ping'an!
Because her master once said an aphorism-like saying: minor officials fear you might not know what they're thinking; major officials fear you might guess what they're thinking.
Chen Ping'an said, "Miss Fu can continue her northward journey. Go see that mighty Great River and Ju Province. Broaden your horizons, broaden your mind. Perhaps many problems that you rack your brains over will no longer be problems but answers instead."
Fu Zheng nodded. She would put aside the question of whether to become a spy and, for herself and for her master, go see the landscapes of foreign lands and her homeland.
Chen Ping'an smiled. "We met by chance, and I have nothing to give you but a parting gift: 'Maintain inner righteousness, and evil cannot prevail.'"
Fu Zheng grinned and cupped her hands. "Then I'll really take you for State Preceptor Chen!"
The man with hands tucked in his sleeves suppressed a smile and nodded. "Anyway, south of the Great River, impersonating Chen Ping'an isn't illegal."
Fu Zheng suddenly said, "Then I'll go see the Great River and return home. I won't go to Ju Province for now."
Chen Ping'an asked, "Why?"
Fu Zheng said, "I don't want to go to Ju Province and say in my heart to my master that insufferable line, 'Sure enough, it's poor.' I think I'll go a few years later, when Ju Province has changed—where saints, heroes, and wandering knights have long appeared, and the streets are full of wealthy merchants with deep pockets. When everything is there, I'll tell my master in my heart, as a surprise for him."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "Alright, then I'll add more burdens to Guan Yiran, Yellow Brow Immortal, and Zhang He. Next time, I'll personally handle their evaluation reports."
The girl was serious. "Who?"
Chen Ping'an explained, "They are the newly appointed provincial governor, the general of Ju Province, and the education commissioner of Ju Province."
Fu Zheng's eyes sparkled with light. Listen to that tone, that demeanor—chatting casually about these high-ranking officials of Great Li as if she were talking about county clerks. So impressive. So the girl shamelessly tested the waters: "And while you're at it, mention me to Boss Jiang too. Like, when talking about the Tidal Pearl Beach affair, just say I was chivalrous and brave, single-handedly stormed the den of thieves. Don't mention the embarrassing part about being captured."
Chen Ping'an couldn't help but laugh and agreed. "Easy to say."
Fu Zheng's face flushed red. She mustered her courage and asked a very bold question: "State Preceptor Chen, if I may be so bold, is Sword Immortal Ning beautiful?"
Chen Ping'an was silent for a moment, thought seriously, and smiled. "All the beautiful words and phrases in the world are insufficient to describe the image she holds in my heart."
Chen Lingjun was deeply impressed. This little girl had guts and wasn't thin-skinned. It was a pity she wasn't going to Fallen Mountain.
Chen Ping'an rubbed the green-clad child's head and laughed. "Continue your travels in the jianghu. Don't give up halfway."
Chen Lingjun rubbed his hands and chuckled. "Mountain Lord, since Pei Qian has come, where's my chance to show off?"
Chen Ping'an gently patted Chen Lingjun's head and said gently, "Just pretend we don't exist. Focus single-mindedly, walk alone. As if in heaven and earth, there is only a Daoist named Jingqing, within limited territory and time, trying his best to open his eyes wide, distinguish right from wrong, carefully separate good from evil, and establish rules."
"After doing all this, go to the table and drink, brag with friends, and report that all is well to the person you most want to talk to."
"Whether you ascend the mountain, descend it, or return to it in the future, the path beneath your feet is always a Great River."
Having patiently listened to the mountain lord's golden words, Chen Lingjun unconsciously tilted his head, frowned, and looked dazed. "Huh?"
Fu Zheng gradually walked farther away, her heart surging with emotion. After steadying herself, she thought to herself: He seemed completely different from the "young protagonist" written in that travelogue. Not alike at all. Which one was real, which one was fake?
Chen Lingjun gazed into the distance, gave a vigorous flick of his sleeve, and said, "Mountain Lord, I'll be off now?"
Chen Ping'an said, "Go ahead."
---
The little black-clad girl with a cloth bundle slung diagonally across her body, her two sparse brows furrowed, sat astride Pei Qian's neck. She sighed, "The enemy's formation—mustering troops and generals, rolling onward—even the Yellow Wind Ancestor would sigh in self-deprecation."
Pei Qian nodded in agreement. "The Purple Sun Mansion of Wu Yi in Yellow Court Kingdom also loves a grand show, but compared to this Prefect Shen, it's still a bit inferior."
The Yellow Wind Ancestor, who once swaggered and bullied near Mute Girl Lake, was probably the foremost "great demon" in Xiao Mili's mind.
When Pei Qian was a child and traveled with Chen Ping'an to the Purple Sun Mansion, she had also greatly envied the grandeur of Wu Yi's founding ancestor—waves of people kneeling, knocking their heads and shouting "Ancestor"... The little black charcoal was terribly envious.
Xiao Mili rested her chin on Pei Qian's topknot hairstyle, anticipation in her eyes. "Sister Pei Qian, are you going to travel with us from now on?"
Pei Qian had originally planned to travel north, then go to Northern Jambudvipa Continent. She had arranged a meeting date and place with her junior brother Deng Jianbing.
After thinking it over, she still missed Xiao Mili, so she turned her horse around, crossed the Great River, and kept heading south. During the journey, she brought along a fine horse named Qu Huang and took a ferry. She deliberately wore a mask made by Old Cook to avoid being troubled by the fame of "Grandmaster Zheng," which would inevitably require polite small talk with strangers. If she insisted on being flawless in every interaction, she would find it annoying. If her words were not well-considered and she accidentally slighted someone, people would gossip about Fallen Mountain's sect conduct, saying she was putting on airs.
Pei Qian led the horse with one hand and tapped the hilt of her waist blade with the other, shaking her head. "I've arranged to meet Junior Brother Deng at Northern Jambudvipa Continent. His two disciples will travel with me through Northern Jambudvipa first."
Pei Qian's so-called Junior Brother Deng was Deng Jianbing, who had previously fulfilled his wish on Indus Leaf Continent by taking Chen Ping'an as his master. But the interesting thing was that Deng Jianbing didn't just come with his own skills; he also brought his disciples with him.
Deng Jianbing was stubborn. He had decided he would only accept two disciples in his lifetime—one as his first disciple and one as his last. Now, that pair of youngsters, from common origins, were training at a dao field established by Deng Jianbing's sister and brother-in-law. Their aptitudes were ordinary, but thankfully they were honest and able to endure hardship.
Deng Jianbing wasn't in a hurry to have them come to Bottle Gourd Continent to "acknowledge their ancestry."
Deng Jianbing's reason for asking Senior Sister Pei to take the two junior nephews on this journey was clear and simple: whether those two children could go to Fallen Mountain and be qualified to "pay respects to the Grandmaster," whether they could become Chen Ping'an's disciple's disciples, was not for them, as Deng Jianbing's direct disciples, to decide. It had to be based on their own character.
Even if a grandmaster fell from the sky, they had to be able to catch such a blessing themselves.
If after testing, Senior Sister Pei found their character unfit for great tasks, they would simply stay put and train at the dao field, never to have any connection with the Verdant Peak Ancestral Hall.
To some extent, the solitary Deng Jianbing was quite similar to Cheng Qian. Both placed the utmost importance on the dignity of the master-disciple relationship, both demanded a kind of "one who wears the attire without embodying the Way deserves death"—a strict alignment of virtue with position. For the sword cultivator Deng Jianbing, the word "righteousness" had always been more important than life itself.
Pei Qian had no intention of deliberately making things difficult for Deng Jianbing's two disciples. After all, she herself had made mistakes along the way. At the very least, she would be more patient with "errors."
Pei Qian thought that when they saw her, they would have to call her "Senior Sister Pei," and found that amusing.
Xiao Mili laughed. "Deng the Sword Immortal, and his sister and brother-in-law—they're all my fellow townsmen!"
It was always a good thing when more people from one's hometown achieved success and brought honor to the community.
Pei Qian nodded. Junior Brother Deng's sister was one of Northern Jambudvipa Continent's ten youngest—an embroidery girl, a martial arts grandmaster. Her real name was Deng Jianqiao. Her husband Huang Xi was no ordinary person either.
Pei Qian recalled something and smiled. "I remember when we were little, every time you said you and my master jointly killed the Yellow Wind Ancestor, I always debunked you, saying you were lying and padding your reputation."
Xiao Mili grinned. "You weren't wrong. It was indeed bragging without a draft. Being called out on it face to face was just embarrassing. And if I lied too many times, who wouldn't get annoyed?"
Back then, the two friends often got into arguments over this, sometimes not speaking for half a day, deliberately meeting on the road and just as deliberately refusing to talk to each other.
Pei Qian said, "I asked Master about it in private. He said you weren't lying. He even described in detail how you fought side by side with the Yellow Sand Ancestor, narrowly winning and killing him—quite a thrilling story. Master said if it were written down, it would take at least seven or eight hundred characters to capture its brilliance."
Xiao Mili scratched her face, embarrassed. "What's wrong with the mountain lord? Why is he as childish as me?"
Pei Qian laughed. "He also said someone stood in a basket and used his head as a wooden fish to knock..."
Xiao Mili immediately reached out and covered Pei Qian's mouth. "By heaven and earth, don't believe the words of novelists, don't believe unofficial histories..."
Chen Qingliu had no particular aim in coming here, other than wanting to see his good drinking buddy's "River-walking" in person.
Jiang She and Wu Yan, this couple, had actually been slowly wandering around Bottle Gourd Continent. This time, of course, they were here for Pei Qian. The husband and wife didn't dare approach her; merely observing from afar was enough to satisfy them.
As for Chen Ping'an, he both wanted to see how Xiao Mili and the others were enjoying their travels and was worried that Pei Qian might come into conflict with Jiang She and the others.
As a result, the one-continent dao master of Flowing Xia Continent could only stand in the pavilion, with no qualification to sit.
Jing Hao had the self-awareness to know that the pavilion was small, and the remaining seats must be reserved for Sword Immortal Chen.
Chen Qingliu asked with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, now that we're on this battlefield site, if we really get down to it, who has the final say?"
He had raised a good question—the exact one that touches a sore spot. Truly acerbic to the extreme.
They had jointly slain Jiang She and divided the spoils three ways.
Now the "Military School" temple had actually split. The Central Earth Martial Temple still nominally occupied the ancestral court of the Military School, but Wu Shuangjiang and a few others had essentially set up a new separate sect. So if Chen Ping'an were to visit a dao field like True Martial Mountain or Snow Wind Temple now, it would be interesting.
Jing Hao's eyelids twitched again. Deliberately rubbing salt in the wound—was that appropriate? After all, the other party was Jiang She, the First Ancestor of the human Military School!
After a ten-thousand-year punishment period ended, he emerged again, only to be jointly slain by three people. Would that become a huge joke?
The Age-Expelling Palace of Wu Shuangjiang, which had now raised a great banner against the White Jade Capital—was he someone to be trifled with?
Or was Zheng Juzhong easy to deal with?
The youngest, Chen Ping'an, had even accomplished that "Heaven-Earth Connection."
Just talking about a mountain friend of Jing Hao's who had personally witnessed this event—he used seven or eight idioms to evaluate it: world-shaking, unimaginable, ineffably wonderful, breathtaking, longed for in spirit... finally ending with "I bow to him," and truly bowed in the direction of the Heaven-Earth Connection.
Jiang She said testily, "Anyway, it's not up to you."
Chen Qingliu nodded. "A martial artist never loses a fistfight."
Jing Hao actually wanted to leave this pavilion. If Senior Qing Zhu and Jiang She came to blows over a disagreement, someone like him—not too weak, yet not strong enough, a half-bucket Flying Ascension cultivator—probably wouldn't even count as a backdrop. Jing Hao glanced at the Water God Wang Xian, who was still kept in the dark. Having a narrow worldview had its benefits—he was listening to heavenly books without a clue of being on the brink of death.
Jiang She gave a gleeful grunt. "Then let me experience the power of your two lifebound flying swords."
Wu Yan immediately elbowed him, reminding him to mind his words and actions.
Thinking of Pei Qian being nearby, Jiang She had to give up. Right, he couldn't give her the impression every time they met was about asking for a fistfight.
Chen Qingliu waved his hand, offering an olive branch. "You and I are essentially the same kind of person. Let's not do stupid things that bring grief to our friends and joy to our enemies."
Jiang She snorted. "How are we the same kind?"
Chen Qingliu said, "Both have cares and concerns, outwardly fierce but inwardly weak."
Within the mountaintop pavilion, the atmosphere was tense. Jing Hao's heartstrings were stretched to the breaking point, ready to employ an escape technique at any moment.
If he still had the strength, he would grab the Water God Wang Xian and flee together. Damn it! He'd read a few more mountain-and-water intelligence reports in the future!
Unexpectedly, Jiang She, who cared most about his face, did not become angry. Instead, he nodded slightly, his expression softening. He crossed his arms, leaned against the railing, and gazed toward the battlefield site. His eyes were gentle, as if the entire world existed only as a foil for her, as if everything were to be used as her future dowry.
Jing Hao was utterly baffled but dared not pry. He feared that if his dao heart stirred, Jiang She would keenly sense it and give him a thorough beating for nothing.
The former Water God Wang Xian had never heard of the Daoist name of the Flowing Xia Continent's Green Palace Grand Guardian, nor did he know who these mountain figures following Old Immortal Jing Hao actually were.
However, based solely on Old Immortal Jing Hao's mountaintop feat of clapping his hands like striking a tortoise drum three times, Wang Xian knew these people must be extraordinary great figures, possibly the few most notable existences on some continent. That Flowing Xia Continent in the northwest of Bright Ocean?
Chen Qingliu took the initiative to invite, "Water God Wang Xian, just sit down with us boldly and chat."
Wang Xian wasn't lacking in common sense, so he naturally declined repeatedly. Even the highly respected and profoundly accomplished Old Immortal Jing Hao was still standing; he had no reason to take advantage of his benefactor's kindness.
Chen Qingliu, usually known for his domineering behavior, surprisingly didn't get angry. He smiled and said, "Mountains have heights and lows; rivers flow long and short. But a pure dao heart always sits on an equal footing."
Wang Xian didn't dare to talk back, but he really wanted to say honestly: a minor water god like him, what dao heart could he have?
Chen Qingliu, for some reason, was remarkably patient with Wang Xian, so much so that Jing Hao found it puzzling. Seeing that Wang Xian refused to sit and chat, he let him be, whatever made him comfortable. Chen Qingliu seemed to be speaking from the heart as he lightly patted his knee. "Since when were there mountains and waters in heaven? Being in the world, aren't we immortals?"
Chen Qingliu said, "What you did earlier wasn't like you, Jing Hao."
Jing Hao bowed his head with cupped hands. "It was a momentary impulse by this junior; I acted on a whim to do my small part. I dare not claim any merit."
Chen Qingliu neither confirmed nor denied, asking, "Since you're the big shot of Flowing Xia Continent, have you thought about how to explain the matter of Liu Laocheng to Sword Immortal Chen?"
Jing Hao's face showed difficulty. Not long ago, Liu Laocheng had been tempted by Liu Tui with the promise of "Flying Ascension" and had gone into seclusion in the White Porcelain Cave Heaven of Flowing Xia Continent.
It seemed he had also swept clean the True Mirror Sect in Letter Sea. With a thief in the house being the hardest to guard against, the Jade Token Sect's ancestral hall had likely been in an uproar.
Liu Tui's move was quite brilliant—casting a long line, fishing for a big catch. The bait was just "Longevity," and he easily dragged Liu Laocheng, that big fish, ashore.
But Jing Hao had assumed that this kind of mountain grievance had nothing to do with Green Palace Mountain. If Fallen Mountain wanted to find trouble, they should go after Liu Tui and Celestial Ballad Township.
Yet since Senior Qing Zhu had brought it up, there must be deeper meaning. Had he missed some crucial link?
Chen Qingliu glanced sidelong at Jing Hao. "Why put on the face of having eaten shit? Outside of Flowing Xia Continent, not many know who 'Jing Hao' is. And you can't even bully the juniors of the Celestial Corner Cave Heaven."
Jing Hao dared not refute.
In truth, Jing Hao was also a shrewd and calculating person. Otherwise, he couldn't have suppressed that pair of dogs and bitches from Celestial Corner Cave Heaven for a thousand years, forcing Shu Nanyuan to only become a newly ascended Flying Ascension cultivator until now. In Flowing Xia Continent, his authority was deeply entrenched. It was only in this pavilion, encountering Chen Qingliu and the others, that he appeared flustered.
Earlier on Fuyao Continent, Chen Ping'an and those young sword cultivators from the Summer Retreat Palace had experienced the demeanor of this Flowing Xia Continent's dao master. He wandered through other continents like a superior sect's ancestor inspecting the territory of a subordinate sect.
Take Liu Tui's White Porcelain Cave Heaven, located in Flowing Xia Continent. He was rather close friends with Jing Hao. Although not to the point of entrusting life and death, they had secretly done a few deals together. Just from Liu Tui's public declaration that he wanted to be the father of Shu Zhongshu, one could gauge Liu Tui's general temperament and his relationship with Celestial Corner Cave Heaven.
Shu Zhongshu was one of the candidates for the ten youngest across several worlds and the only son of Shu Nanyuan. He was a sword cultivator and had gone to experience the Multicolored Sky Realm.
Chen Qingliu said, "Jing Hao, if you still follow your old habits, you will never defeat Ni Tang and Shu Nanyuan. If you lose, it's no big deal. But if you can't hold Green Palace Mountain, I can't just kill you again. In mountain duels, a mere thought can lead to death and disappearance, ashes scattered in the wind. With Ni Tang's temperament, she won't leave a coffin for you to lie in."
Shu Nanyuan's Daoist partner, Ni Tang, was the greatest contributor to helping her occupy Celestial Corner Cave Heaven.
When an older female cultivator has offspring, it is often mockingly called "old pearl in the oyster."
Jing Hao said cautiously, "Senior Qing Zhu, I have never underestimated Ni Tang. I've been on guard against her for a long time."
Jing Hao looked down on Shu Nanyuan but dared not underestimate this woman of deep schemes and high-handedness. She was truly a ruthless person who would stop at nothing, most willing to lose face. Liu Tui had once privately told Jing Hao about a secret matter: that Ni Tang had approached him, hinting that she was willing to offer herself to him, only seeking to conceive a child. In the future, their illegitimate child could possess both the Celestial Corner and White Porcelain Cave Heavens. With proper nurturing and long-term planning, they could surely seize the position of dao master from Jing Hao.
Even Jing Hao was shocked. He curiously asked Liu Tui if Shu Nanyuan didn't mind, or if Ni Tang was confident in keeping it a secret.
Liu Tui shook his head, saying he wasn't sure of the truth. Jing Hao's smile was meaningful. He asked how Liu Tui could resist such a tempting morsel delivered to his lips. At that time, Liu Tui's expression was gloomy, saying that such a willingly offered thing, he simply couldn't bring himself to take. He was also afraid of burning his throat, most afraid of getting greedy and suffering a great loss, ending up being devoured bones and all.
Additionally, Shu Nanyuan, whose Daoist name was Jiao Ming, was also a member of some ancestral hall.
Of course, Chen Ping'an had already learned of this matter, as Sword Immortal Xu Xie had already provided the details.
Chen Qingliu asked with a smile, "Is occupying the nest of Green Palace Mountain a good thing or a bad thing?"
Jing Hao blurted out, "Naturally a great good thing! Without the lineage of Green Palace Mountain, I might have long been one of the skeletons among the ruins of some site, just in a different place. People like Shu Nanyuan, even if they are audacious beyond measure, never dare to kill me outright, never dare to touch Green Palace Mountain in the slightest. In the final analysis, it's not fear of mutual destruction with me, but fear of Senior Qing Zhu, who appears and disappears."
Chen Qingliu asked again, "Clapping hands like striking a tortoise drum three times—is it a big deal or a small matter?"
Jing Hao said without hesitation, "A small matter."
Chen Qingliu laughed. "A piece of rotten wood."
At this moment, Jing Hao's dao heart was not alarmed but instead delighted. At least in Senior Qing Zhu's eyes, he was worth scolding and could be taught.
Outside the mountain, near the battlefield site and that dao field, seen from above, it looked like an earthworm writhing forward.
Prefect Shen, clad in imperial robe and crown like a true emperor, sat in his carriage with a purple-gold crown. He led his thousands of ghost soldiers out in full force, their armor and weapons gleaming. For a moment, spears and halberds bristled like a forest. A crowd of allies stood by to support, clamoring as they all advanced toward the foreign cultivator who dared to trespass this place.
The accompanying seductress, her eyes alluring, lay on Prefect Shen's chest, wearing an ill-fitting dharma robe. The tight silk emphasized her curves, seeming ready to burst.
Among the procession near the carriage was a young man with a hawklike shoulders wearing a crane-feather cloak in the height of summer. He was also one of Prefect Shen's honored guests and a powerful ally. His eyes kept wandering over the seductress, as if afraid that her dharma robe's poor fabric might tear apart.
The mighty army marched, kicking up dust along the road.
Scouts came and went, reports flying. First, they said the green-clad child had gained an accomplice, a person with a slung bag, whose realm was unknown.
Then, thirty li ahead, a young woman with a topknot hairstyle had suddenly appeared. She wore a sword and blade at her waist and led a horse. She didn't seem like a registered cultivator but rather a person of the jianghu. Sitting on her neck was a bewildered-looking little girl in black, pointing and gesturing in their direction. The distance was too far to make out what she was saying.
Prefect Shen pondered for a moment, then asked with a smile, "Which fellow Daoist would be willing to serve as vanguard and test their strength?"
Immediately, a burly, yellow-bearded strongman stepped forward. He was bare-chested, wearing no armor, only a pair of blue satin trousers. He cupped his hands and said, "Prefect Shen, your general will lead the first charge!"
The strongman carried no weapons, bare-handed. As he strode forward, the mud sank beneath his feet.
Prefect Shen frowned slightly. Why was this reckless man joining in? If he retreated in defeat, it would damage the prestige of the dao field. If he died, who would collect his corpse?
But with everyone watching, Prefect Shen couldn't very well rescind the order. He could only tell his beloved general to be extra careful and not to engage in prolonged combat.
Many allies, like the hawklike young man, were only too happy to see Prefect Shen's number one beloved general go off to die.
They actually didn't want the two sides to be too unevenly matched. Better that they fight to a mutual defeat, like the snipe and the clam—the fisherman reaps the benefit. Then they would have a chance to take over.
Prefect Shen was well aware of these allies' dirty thoughts. No matter. When the time came, they would all become resources for his great path.
This prefect's path to becoming a ghost was quite special. The things he fed on were exactly opposite to the pure incense sought by proper mountain and water deities.
He looked at his elite ghost soldiers, listened to the clanking of armor and the rhythmic hoofbeats, and felt quite proud.
These armors and weapons were all good stuff secretly purchased from the military arsenals of several neighboring kingdoms.
He recalled the days when the Great Li iron cavalry, using such equipment, had faced the physically powerful barbarian clans of the Wildlands on the battlefield, locked in endless back-and-forth.
After the war, an old Confucian from some kingdom had made a nauseating yet vivid analogy: looking down from a height at the battlefield after the drums had called back the troops, under the sunlight, it was like a huge chopping board covered in a mess of rotten meat paste, interspersed with countless glints of cold light.
In that case, he should really thank that new State Preceptor named Chen.
If not for the tough stance he had displayed, the two military ministries of Great Li probably wouldn't have brought up old matters. This had done Prefect Shen a considerable favor—it frightened several minor kingdom rulers into no longer holding out for higher prices. They quickly sold cheaply to Prefect Shen instead. If they risked having their weapons seized by Great Li Song clan without spending a single coin, better to sell them quickly and earn a large sum of immortal money to fill the national coffers.
Selling to neighboring countries was risky, but selling to the wealthy and ghostly Prefect Shen had no hidden dangers. After all, would he dare to become an emperor? Did he think the rules of the Confucian Temple and academies were mere formalities? That the inspections by the Five March Deities were just for show?
He casually kneaded the delicate cheek of the seductress in his arms and promised her, "When the day comes that we turn heaven and earth around, I might make you a female general."
The seductress giggled, twisting her body, her collar open, revealing a stretch of white smoothness.
Prefect Shen had always prided himself on being a valiant and strategic general. After over a decade of careful management, he had gathered more than thirty visiting retainers who had taken refuge here. They were all fierce men from their homelands. He had also raised a large number of ghost soldiers as warriors, not to mention seven or eight mountain allies whose strength was no less than that of the Tidal Pearl Beach illicit shrine. Prefect Shen believed that as long as he didn't provoke Cloud Radiance Mountain, which pierced the clouds, or start a conflict with the Yellow Millet Sect, he was safe. Fortunately, these two great dao fields were far from his territory. By the time they detected any suspicious clues, he was confident he would have already attained his dao, and they would no longer be able to casually suppress this heretical ghost.
Think about it: Letter Sea was once utterly lawless, but because the upper fifth-realm Liu Laocheng held sway there, those righteous leaders had to pinch their noses and turn a blind eye.
Even the powerful Great Li dynasty, which swept south like a dragon, and the Jade Token Sect, a dragon crossing the river, only pacified it rather than eradicating it completely. This allowed many shameless figures from island sects to transform overnight into registered disciples of sect-level dao fields.
Comparing one's lot in life and the nobility of one's origins was the most frustrating thing. Prefect Shen certainly couldn't compete with King Song Mu of Luo in this regard.
But when it came to the achievements and merits that would be judged after a hundred or a thousand years, the times always changed. Who said generals and ministers were born to their stations? Prefect Shen truly didn't think that someday he wouldn't be able to have a face-to-face conversation with that fellow Chen.
Prefect Shen was filled with lofty ambitions. Once he became an upper fifth-realm ghost, he would enjoy the invisible protection of an entire continent's mountains and rivers.
Putting away his thoughts, Prefect Shen increasingly felt that heaven and earth were too narrow, insufficient for him to display his skills.
Pei Qian placed Xiao Mili on the horse's back.
The burly strongman strode forward like flying, a line of dust rising behind him. "Kneel immediately, and I'll spare your life!" he shouted fiercely.
As he spoke, the young woman seemed frozen with fear. The fierce general twisted his wrist, a flash of blade, and thrust a dagger toward her abdomen.
Seeing that he had struck successfully, the man was surprised but excited. He shouted, "The bandit is dead by the blade!"
In a daze, he was shocked to find that the woman before him was merely an afterimage.
The strongman didn't dare to falsely report. He lowered his voice, somewhat embarrassed, giving himself a way out. "I haven't killed the bandit yet."
As for why the dagger had felt like it struck something solid—he dismissed it as the tricks of cultivators, mountain techniques.
From afar, Prefect Shen saw through the woman's skill at a glance. He understood her martial arts attainment. Using his heart voice, he shouted, "Withdraw immediately! Do not engage recklessly..."
What kind of intense fist intent must flow such that an afterimage could appear like a real person?
Prefect Shen had practiced martial arts himself and knew the weight of such a feat. Gritting his teeth, he decided not to hide his capabilities any longer. Even a lion should use his full strength to catch a rabbit. Prefect Shen raised his arm and waved vigorously.
Within the thick clouds, a massive object slowly appeared. It was a secret imitation of a Great Li sword-boat—an offensive ferry, of course only similar in shape and much smaller in scale, but sufficient to intimidate.
The soldiers on the "sword-boat" scrambled, shaking the deck planks as they operated dozens of heavy crossbows, all aimed at the female martial artist on the ground.
Zhong Qian saw that Chen Lingjun hadn't returned yet and was about to act. Then, near the foot of the mountain, a green-clad child's figure shot up into the air. In an instant, like a green cloud, he drifted down and landed gracefully on the railing of the boat's bow.
Inside the pavilion, Wu Yan was slightly surprised. "Oh, that majestic prefect of yours is actually a Nascent Soul."
Jiang She crossed his arms and snorted. "He has broken the heavenly laws. He deserves to suffer."
Just as Xiao Mili, riding on Pei Qian's neck, had mistaken—could he be a 14th-realm great cultivator? Otherwise, their own side wasn't weak either. Not to mention Pei Qian's already perfected crazed sword technique, even the good mountain lord himself had come.
Water God Wang Xian's face turned pale. That Prefect Shen had supposedly thrown a feast to celebrate forming a golden core—how had he suddenly become a Nascent Soul?
Thirty or fifty years ago on Bottle Gourd Continent, not to mention Golden Core or Nascent Soul—even a Sea Observation cultivator, or a Cavern Dwelling cultivator, were formidable local heroes, enough to establish a sect and recruit followers, intimidating a region. Although the current situation was naturally different, Wang Xian, as a water god with a shattered golden body, could not travel far. Some rumors he heard were inevitably met with skepticism.
Jing Hao had been pondering this. Prefect Shen, who in life was only a sixth-realm martial artist, had formed a Golden Core and become a Nascent Soul in such a short time after death. He must possess a secret treasure of no low grade, or perhaps he had obtained some shady opportunity.
But deduction and observing qi were never Jing Hao's strengths. That being said, if this were Flowing Xia Continent, and an inexplicably new Nascent Soul suddenly popped up somewhere, Jing Hao would just raise his eyelids and let it go. It was like a veteran prime minister in the court hearing that this year's top graduate at the imperial exams was thirty years old, or a child prodigy—so what?
Jiang She, bored, made small talk with Water God Wang Xian. "Are you the local water god?"
Wang Xian answered nervously, "I was."
Jiang She asked, "And in the future?"
Wang Xian said honestly, "I dare not think about it."
Jiang She tilted his chin. "You haven't heard of Jing Hao of Flowing Xia Continent, but you must have heard the Daoist name 'Qing Zhu,' right?"
Wang Xian was mortified. He didn't dare lie and said shamefacedly, "This minor deity has limited knowledge and is ignorant."
Jiang She laughed heartily, pointing at Chen Qingliu, who looked like an old blue-robed scholar. "Fellow Daoist Qing Zhu, compared to Jing Hao, you're not much better."
Chen Qingliu smiled. "Across the street yet unrecognized, a thousand li apart yet sharing the same breeze."
Chen Qingliu suddenly stood up and said to Jing Hao, "Lend me a metal-element dharma treasure of the five elements."
Jing Hao immediately took out an antique scripture-weighting censer from his inch-reach object. It was yellow gold, with two ears and three legs.
If Jing Hao hadn't deliberately concealed its aura, it would have manifested as a precious treasure revealing itself, with golden light shooting a hundred zhang.
Chen Qingliu took the censer, turned it into a puddle of golden liquid in his palm with a slight twist of his wrist. A concentrated essence of water force condensed into a green-jade inkstone, which he handed to Wang Xian. The latter didn't understand, but seeing Old Immortal Jing Hao signaling him to accept it immediately, he took it with both hands. Chen Qingliu said, "Wang Xian. Since you've come across this, don't let it pass you by. After this is settled, go shamelessly to that man surnamed Chen and ask him to write a couplet for this pavilion. If he politely refuses and is reluctant to dip his fingers in ink, pester him relentlessly. Got it?"
Wang Xian was bewildered but answered softly, "This minor deity remembers."
Chen Qingliu said, "Do you have that kind of face?"
When it came to the thickness of one's skin, Wang Xian immediately felt confident. He grinned. "I'm good at asking favors!"
Jing Hao was secretly envious. He had several similar dharma treasures and dozens of such pavilions in his own dao field. The only problem was he couldn't get Sword Immortal Chen to write.
Jiang She laughed. "Once you have the couplet, don't forget the plaque. Every pavilion needs a name. How about just writing one character: 'Heaven'?"
Chen Qingliu retorted testily, "'Heaven' Pavilion? Are you not afraid the land for ten thousand li around will instantly collapse into a big pit?"
Heaven Pavilion? Heavenly Court? Only Jiang She could think of that! And deliberately saying "ten thousand li around" was Chen Qingliu being careful not to scare Water God Wang Xian.
Otherwise, would even Bottle Gourd Continent be able to bear it?
Wu Yan glared. "If you have no education, stop giving bad advice!"
Jiang She was helpless.
Chen Qingliu couldn't be bothered to argue with Jiang She. He said, "The excess ink in the inkstone can be used later to rebuild your golden body and divine statue."
Wang Xian asked softly, "How should this minor deity return the inkstone to you, senior?"
Chen Qingliu smiled. "Consider it my meeting gift."
Wang Xian said shamefacedly, "I really don't deserve this."
Chen Qingliu asked, puzzled, "Your skin isn't thick either. Can you really convince Chen Ping'an to dip his finger in ink and write?"
Wang Xian had already been embarrassed several times in the pavilion. One more time wouldn't matter... Suddenly his eyes widened. "Who?! Chen what?!"
Jiang She clicked his tongue. That fellow surnamed Chen had quite a reputation.
Realizing his loss of composure, Wang Xian quickly steadied his emotions and lowered his voice. "I beg you, senior, to make it clear. It can't be that one from Great Li, can it?"
Chen Qingliu laughed. "Great Li is a land of a hundred provinces. There are many people named Chen Ping'an. How would I know which one you mean?"
Wang Xian braced himself and said, "The newly appointed State Preceptor of Great Li, the last Hidden Officer of the Sword Qi Great Wall."
Chen Qingliu smiled. "Well, there's no story without coincidences."
Jiang She snorted. "When there are no heroes, a petty man becomes famous."
Wu Yan said angrily, "What are you so sour about? Isn't he also Pei Qian's master? You always talk big. If you really had the skill, why didn't you go fight Zhou Mi before and win..."
Jiang She fell silent. He wondered whether, for the next thousand or ten thousand years, the name "Chen Ping'an" and the "Heaven-Earth Connection" he achieved would become the benchmark for all future "great feats" to be compared against.
Jing Hao's dao heart trembled.
Wang Xian asked Jing Hao via heart voice, "Old Immortal Jing, can these 'ink drops' be remade into a censer?"
Jing Hao ignored him, but Wang Xian persisted until Jing Hao was annoyed and had to perfunctorily reply, "They can be remade, but going back and forth like that will inevitably cost a few gold essence copper coins. How are you going to pay that bill?"
Wang Xian gave a straightforward solution. "Put it on credit?"
Jing Hao laughed despite himself. "The guest should follow the host's arrangements!"
Wu Yan glanced at Jiang She beside her. Her man wasn't completely heartless.
When he boarded the Night Boat back then, he had been aggressive and deliberately spoke harshly and coldly, all to force the young man to act.
If he dared to fight Jiang She, that would count as Jiang She giving the young man a bit of reputation, making up a "tuition fee."
If he dared to kill Jiang She, even better.
Of course, no one had expected that the other party could actually kill Jiang She.
Jiang She accepted that.
Chen Qingliu said to himself, "When it comes to power and martial arts, cultivation and realms, wit and tactics, there is always someone stronger. That has always been the case, past and present."
"It's always that the strong say what is what, and the weak can only keep silent and accept what is said."
"Fellow Daoist Jiang, would you agree?"
Jiang She replied, "I disagree."
Chen Qingliu dismissed it with a smile.
Then Jiang She surprisedly asked in heart voice about a small matter: "What's with that red string tied around the kid's wrist?"
Chen Ping'an had used a rather clever illusion, or perhaps some ancient, lost method of forging, making it hard for outsiders to notice. Jiang She himself only discovered the red string on Chen Ping'an's wrist during the final stage of that battle.
Chen Qingliu gazed into the distance at the battlefield site, seemingly distracted. He gave an answer that didn't match the question: "A tiny place, yet it has become an anchor."
An anchor at the foot of the mountain—for ordinary ships, it was just a basket full of stones tied to a rope and thrown into the water to help moor. Official boats mostly used iron anchors, but on immortal ferries, they were far more elaborate, each with its own wonders.
Wu Yan, being more perceptive, asked, "Is Great Li really going back on its word? Is Mr. Chen truly going to change everything, overturning all the national policies established by Senior Brother Cui Chan?"
Chen Qingliu said, "The direction is not yet clear."
A Dragon-Walking Path was still controlled by the Great Li Song clan.
The five marches of Bottle Gourd Continent were also the five marches of the Great Li dynasty. The enfeoffment of the five mountain lords as deities had been, from start to finish, nominally presented by Great Li but secretly facilitated by the new State Preceptor.
And that newly built Old Dragon City still nominally bore the surname Fu, but in reality, didn't it still belong to Song?
Just recently, the Azure Apricot Kingdom welcomed several jade seals and finally established a crown prince. At the celebration, Chen Ping'an had also been solemnly invited.
Wu Yan and Jiang She, slowly touring Bottle Gourd Continent, could naturally see many subtleties that ordinary cultivators might easily overlook.
Chen Qingliu then laughed. "Besides, how can we call it going back on their word? Haven't they already returned so much territory over the years?"
Establishing kingdoms, restoring lost states—the Great Li Song clan had stood by, strictly adhering to their promise, never interfering in the affairs of other countries. South of the Great River, along a certain line, they did not take the small kingdoms that were within easy reach. They ignored the requests of small kingdom rulers willing to resume their vassalage. They did not reply to desperate letters begging to cede territory to Great Li to avoid annexation by neighbors.
To this day, many old men who had regained their positions as ministers and grandees still couldn't believe that the Embodied Tiger had indeed kept his word like a true gentleman!
Chen Qingliu sighed emotionally, "The southern flower of heaven and earth, the night boat of the jianghu. All things in one mansion, life and death share the same form."
Jiang She smiled knowingly. "The Records say: 'Master the One and all matters are completed; have no mind and ghosts and spirits submit.'"
He finally understood why Chen Qingliu had earlier said, "From head to toe, empty like a bamboo slip."
Wu Yan's expression turned serious. "Is there always a solution?"
Chen Qingliu slowly said, "Get up where you fell. The one who tied the bell must untie it."
Wu Yan breathed a sigh of relief. For public and private reasons, and emotionally and rationally, she and Jiang She both hoped the young man would have smooth cultivation in the future.
Chen Qingliu said, "Jing Hao, you stay here and keep watch."
Jing Hao immediately cupped his hands. "I shall respectfully follow the decree."
Although he didn't know what use he would be now that Chen Ping'an had come, since the senior had spoken, Jing Hao didn't mind staying a little longer.
Chen Qingliu smiled. "Jiang She, Wu Yan, what do you say? Will you compete with Chen Ping'an for his daughter and keep losing miserably, or will you join me in enjoying the sights and pleasures of the new landscape?"
Jiang She pointed at the ever-provocative Chen Qingliu. "You should have learned martial arts."
Wu Yan smiled radiantly. "Then we'll journey with Fellow Daoist Qing Zhu to see the new mountains and rivers."
Soon, only Jing Hao and Water God Wang Xian remained in the pavilion.
With Jing Hao's display of the profound technique of striking the tortoise drum three times, strange phenomena had already occurred here. The filthy and evil qi gradually dispersed, while streams of pure and spiritual energy circulated between heaven and earth. The ghostly domain, usually dark and sunless, and the gray battlefield site seemed to brighten somewhat.
When a figure in blue robes appeared at the foot of the mountain, the thick, dark clouds parted. Pillars of light pierced through like arrows through silk, golden sunlight spilling onto the ground. As he walked slowly forward, the sunlight in the sky grew stronger. The clouds, condensed from evil energy like tattered cotton, melted away in large patches. Eventually, sunlight bathed the earth, and the atmosphere was completely renewed.
Jing Hao understood clearly that Chen Ping'an had not used any magical technique or divine ability. There was no trace of spiritual energy ripples. It was purely a manifestation of the Great Dao without need for words.
He wondered what deeper meaning Fellow Daoist Jingqing had earlier when he called him a "good man" and a "sword guest."
---
Earlier, having received a decree from the green-clad child, two beautiful women had traveled north, crossing mountains and rushing to the county town. It was something they never dared to dream of—that they would one day truly have the chance to escape their misery. It felt like a world apart. The journey from the ancient battlefield to the county town was like walking from the underworld to the realm of the living.
They dared not delay. They used all their means, exhausted all their strength, and rushed straight to the county town, wanting only to get as far from the battlefield as possible.
Could they really regain their freedom and find a foothold north of the Great River, where they wouldn't have to worry every day about evil begetting evil?
But on a remote mountain path, they encountered a weary-looking young man blocking their way.
He was a handsome, refined nobleman. Fortunately, he was not a familiar face among Prefect Shen's men.
Though not one of Prefect Shen's villains, they still couldn't tell friend from foe and dared not let down their guard. The female ghost didn't dare to ask for the immortal master's Daoist name or if they could be allowed to pass. She simply communicated via heart voice with Lady Fox's personal maid, deciding they must fight to the death. Even if only one could escape, so be it.
Wen Zixi didn't want them to worry unnecessarily. He said directly, "My ancestor just sent a message across a thousand li, saying that two fairies would be heading to the county town to the north. Worried that Prefect Shen might interfere, I am here to guide you."
He guessed that one of them would be sent to the Five Islands Sect in Letter Sea, and the other to the Fox Kingdom in the Lotus Root Cave Heaven?
They sighed with relief and smiled at each other. It was true—they were saved!
But for a moment, they didn't know how to speak. They were of improper origins, having come from a den of thieves—their backgrounds were even more unsavory than wild cultivators of the mountains and marshes. Faced with a registered cultivator like this, they naturally felt inferior.
Wen Zixi spoke first. "By the way, I don't know your names."
The female ghost said, "Former ceremonial officer of the local mountain god's mansion, a ghost, Huang Ye."
The maid's expression was timid, as if too delicate to bear her clothes. She whispered, "Servant of Lady Fox's shrine at Tidal Pearl Beach, Xia Yupian. This slave is of the fox clan."
Wen Zixi asked, "Don't you have Daoist names?"
Huang Ye's expression was calm. She shook her head. "Our cultivation is shallow, our status lowly. How could we be worthy of Daoist names?"
Wen Zixi nodded, then smiled. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Wen Zixi. My lineage is from the former White Frost Dynasty. I used to belong to a Daoist temple. But lately, I've been hanging around another mountain. Thanks to my ancestor's favor, I became a visiting retainer. I don't feel like I'm living under someone else's roof. On the contrary, I stumbled upon a path for myself."
The Midnight Snack lineage of Fallen Mountain—this small faction was known for having the lowest status, the thickest skin, and the most fluent lies, all of which came naturally.
Huang Ye took out a barrier-breaking talisman. "Immortal Master Wen, this is the token given to this slave by your ancestor. Please examine it."
Prompted by Huang Ye, Xia Yupian fumbled to pull out a talisman from her sleeve. "And this ground-shrinking talisman."
Wen Zixi glanced at them casually and smiled. "Indeed, they are the barrier-breaking talisman passed down by our mountain lord and the ground-shrinking talisman personally made by Chief Xie."
Only then did Huang Ye fully relax. So this was indeed the contact person that the venerable ancestor had mentioned.
Wen Zixi nodded inwardly. Meticulous. Promising material.
Wen Zixi asked with a smile, "Our ancestor bestowed two talismans upon you, one each. Have you decided whether to keep them or sell them?"
Huang Ye said, "Unless absolutely forced, we will each treasure them. We would never sell them for money."
Wen Zixi smiled. "Both talismans are precious, but their value differs. Have you truly divided them properly?"
Huang Ye nodded. "Reporting to Immortal Master Wen, it's settled."
Given Xia Yupian's personality, she would have naturally given the more precious ground-shrinking talisman to Huang Ye. That would be the logical thing.
But Huang Ye refused. Xia Yupian was weak-willed, afraid of causing any resentment, and also felt unworthy of owning the more valuable talisman.
Earlier, Sister Huang Ye had said, "Since we've already left that ghostly place, we need to change how we live." That had made her cry.
Seeing that they had come to a decision, Wen Zixi didn't test their dao hearts further.
To be honest, Wen Zixi was also tempted.
But not by the ground-shrinking talisman that Xie Gou had drawn!
He had a whole stack of those in his pocket. His Chief Xie was always generous!
What he coveted was the barrier-breaking talisman, derived from the "True Calligraphy of the Cinnabar Book."
Currently, Fallen Mountain didn't have many talisman cultivators. On the surface, there was only Jiang Qu.
"Ancestor Jingqing" was a simpleton who thought this was just Jiang Qu's practice piece in studying talismans. Was that possible?!
This was a talisman personally drawn by the mountain lord!
Wen Zixi was silent for a long time. It seemed that he himself didn't live as openly and honestly as these women. He let out a heavy sigh, then his eyes brightened. "I understand!"
Before going up Fallen Mountain, Wen Zixi had never truly tasted the finest delicacies. The Spirit Flying Temple was once a highly reputed pure dao field. Otherwise, that old Nascent Soul named Xu Fu, whose Daoist name was "Iron Bracelet," would never have gone to the temple gate and sincerely begged for guidance. Just look at the methods of Ancestor Cao Rong during the Battle of Old Dragon City—that was the proof of "having a living source for flowing water." The temple was elevated to a palace, leaping to become the second sect-level Daoist establishment on Bottle Gourd Continent. No one at or off the mountain had any objections. But the former Wen Zixi had been too arrogant, taking his master's teachings, opportunities, and dharma treasures all too casually and for granted. This led to his fragile dao heart. Eventually, he had to go to Fallen Mountain and ask Pei Qian for a fistfight, using someone else to break his inner demon. That was already a step down.
This journey was essentially for relaxation. After meeting these women, Wen Zixi surprisingly felt a desire to return to the Spirit Flying Palace's dao field, stop at the mountain gate, and walk up the mountain step by step.
On the quiet road ahead, a young itinerant Daoist emerged from a fork. He was light as a leaf, walking as if flying.
The Daoist carried a sword on his back and held a fly whisk. He wore a blue satin Daoist robe tied with an apricot-yellow silk sash, and at his waist hung a brass nectar bowl painted with the True Form Diagrams of the Five Sacred Mountains.
The young Daoist saw Wen Zixi's party of three, which included a female ghost and a fox spirit. Somewhat surprised, he asked, "Are you Wen Zixi of the Spirit Flying Palace, Fellow Daoist Wen?"
There were rumors below the mountain that Wen Zixi of the "Two Golds" of the Spirit Flying Palace loved to roam the jianghu and wander among flowers. It seemed the rumors were true.
Wen Zixi replied with a grin, "And you are?"
The young Daoist performed a Daoist greeting, smiling frankly. "A wild cultivator of the mountains and marshes, Zhao Xutuo."
Wen Zixi squinted. "Oho! 'Zhao Xutuo'—one of our Bottle Gourd Continent's ten youngest?"
The young Daoist nodded. "Indeed, it is I."
Wen Zixi pretended to be surprised. "And you recognize a small fry like me?"
Zhao Xutuo said, "Fellow Daoist Wen is joking."
The female ghost Huang Ye was lost in a fog. But Xia Yupian, having been Lady Fox's personal maid, had occasionally heard of Zhao Xutuo's great fame.
Zhao Xutuo, the itinerant Daoist, seemed to have no established lineage or master. He was a wild cultivator who appeared out of nowhere.
One of Bottle Gourd Continent's ten youngest, his ranking was not high, near the bottom.
From his name, one would expect a burly man, but in reality, he was elegant and slender, with a face like a beauty and three wisps of beard under his chin.
Even if Zhao Xutuo was last among the ten, he was still among the entire continent's ten youngest!
Xia Yupian's face turned pale, afraid that this "Daoist" might take offense and casually exorcise and kill them.
Huang Ye comforted her via heart voice, "Don't be afraid. Listening to his tone, Immortal Master Wen has a significant background."
At the top of the list was Ma Kuxuan, who had mysteriously disappeared. Next was Xie Ling of the Longquan Sword Sect, with her long eyebrows. Yu Shiwu had also vanished from the public eye, rumored to have voluntarily left the True Martial Mountain registry. Cai Jinjian of the Green Cypress Peak of Cloud Radiance Mountain, Sui Youbian of Fallen Mountain, and also Jiang Yun, the academy wise man Zhou Ju, and others.
Among the ten, it seemed the only wild cultivators were Jiang Yun and Zhao Xutuo.
On Bottle Gourd Continent, cultivators outside the registered disciples were divided into three types: wild cultivators, scattered immortals, and Liu Laocheng.
Pity that Liu Laocheng had lost his integrity in his later years, becoming a watchdog for the True Mirror Sect.
Wen Zixi asked with a smile, "I heard you had a fight with Jiang Yun?"
Zhao Xutuo laughed. "A misunderstanding. Not worth mentioning."
Wen Zixi had some inside information. Zhao Xutuo and Jiang Yun had met by chance and argued. The Daoist had said a cutting remark that Jiang Yun couldn't refute. Zhao Xutuo's general meaning was that he had once thought Jiang Yun was a good man, but it turned out he still relied on Liu Laocheng's lineage and the backing of the Yunlin Jiang clan.
Wen Zixi asked, "What brings Fellow Daoist Zhao here?"
Zhao Xutuo's expression turned solemn. "Earlier, I saw from afar that the clouds here were thick and the rain heavy. It should have been a seasonal sweet rain. But then, it was as if an immortal had stretched out his hand to part the clouds and see the sun, shining light upon the world. I came here for both public and private reasons. To be precise, private before public."
Wen Zixi was curious. "What do you mean by public and private?"
Zhao Xutuo said, "I just came out of seclusion recently and found that a direct disciple of mine had gone missing. One of their lifebound lamps had gone out. I followed the clues and tracked them here."
Wen Zixi nodded, stepped aside to clear the path, and cupped his hands. "Then let's skip unnecessary pleasantries. Each goes about their own business."
Zhao Xutuo said, "Here, I congratulate Heavenly Lord Cao on proving the Dao and ascending to Flying Ascension on the sea."
Wen Zixi said self-deprecatingly, "My Daoist lineage is even better than Jiang Yun's."
Zhao Xutuo couldn't say something insincere—that Wen Zixi's lineage was ordinary. Tracing it back, it would lead to the White Jade Capital's Heavenly Lord Lu!
The Daoist raised an eyebrow, looking toward the battlefield site. He murmured, a mix of sadness and admiration in his words. "Foolish child."
The master went into a life-or-death seclusion and came out alive. The disciple went down the mountain to travel and ended up in such a miserable state.
Zhao Xutuo shrank the distance, heading straight to the battlefield site, where he indeed found the Daoist who had become a solitary ghost.
Wen Zixi took it as a chance encounter and led the women to the county town.
Huang Ye asked softly, "May I ask Immortal Master Wen's true name?"
Was it Zixi or Zixin?
Wen Zixi didn't seem embarrassed. Shamelessly, he laughed. "The reason I'm still single is probably that when I meet men, I'm careful and thorough, but when I meet beautiful women, I'm careless and absent-minded."
Huang Ye's expression was impassive. Xia Yupian covered her mouth and giggled uncontrollably.
Wen Zixi suddenly turned serious. "Don't let my glib tongue scare you, sisters. Rest assured, our mountain lord is a proper man!"
From afar, a girl came running and overheard this. She laughed. "I can vouch for that! Absolutely true!"
Wen Zixi asked with a smile, "Miss Fu?"
Fu Zheng suddenly stopped and nodded. "I'm a candidate spy."
On a small earthen slope, Daoist Zhao Xutuo walked up slowly, as if ascending an altar. He held his hands like holding a tablet, facing the heavens.
---
Inside the pavilion, mountain winds blew gently.
A figure in blue robes appeared, sleeves fluttering. Chen Ping'an cupped his hands and smiled. "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Jing, Water God Wang."
Jing Hao and Water God Wang Xian, who had been sitting and chatting, quickly stood up to return the greeting.
Wang Xian was so nervous he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet. His lips trembled, and for a long time, he couldn't utter a word, just lifting the inkstone in his hand.
Jing Hao, having drunk countless morning wines at Fallen Mountain, told Mountain Lord Chen about Senior Qing Zhu's intention.
Chen Ping'an smiled. "I'll gladly oblige. I'll reluctantly show off my skill."
He took the inkstone from Wang Xian, held the green jade inkstone in one hand, dipped a finger in the golden ink, walked outside the pavilion, and began to write in the air. "A pen moves like a dragon and snake"—in one go, he completed a couplet and a plaque:
Cherish clothes, cherish food, cherish gold and silver, cherish fields—not cherishing wealth, but cherishing blessings;
Worship heaven, worship earth, worship deities, worship bodhisattvas—tracing the source, just revere the word.
Seek wealth, seek honor, seek merit, seek fame—seek from yourself, not from others;
Cultivate the body, cultivate the heart, cultivate immortal arts, cultivate righteous qi—the true face fears nothing.
The plaque's large letters read: "Let this heart rest and make this a resting pavilion."
Jing Hao hesitated, then couldn't resist asking via heart voice, "May I ask Mr. Chen, beyond achievements and career, what does this heart seek?"
Chen Ping'an tucked his hands into his sleeves, leaned against the railing, pondered for a long time, and finally gave an answer.
"Thirty years seeking the sword guest, peach blossoms and peach leaves meet again. Be a good person; it's easy to do good."