Chapter 287: Journey North
Lu Tai sat down heavily on the ground, but at least the meat bun in his hand hadn’t been dropped.
That guy had kicked him, and then had the nerve to smile?
He kept talking about how afraid he was of dying, but when it came to him, Lu the Great, this Chen Ping'an had no fear of death at all?
Did he really think his "Needlepoint" and "Awn," those two flying swords, were just as useless as those discarded cosmetics and powders?
Lu Tai suddenly felt a bit gloomy, because he only then remembered that Chen Ping'an had no idea those two life-bound flying swords even existed.
Lu Tai stood up, angrily devoured the meat bun, and warned, "That punch from the Treasure-Swallowing Whale, and now this kick at the ferry crossing—that's twice!"
Chen Ping'an smiled. "Three strikes and you're out."
Lu Tai said sternly, "If there's a third time, I'll either beat you to death, or change back into women's clothes and disgust you to death!"
Chen Ping'an immediately raised his arm, two fingers together, pretending to swear an oath to the heavens, but his words were, "If there's a third time, please be sure to choose beating me to death."
Lu Tai suddenly smiled.
Seeing that Lu Tai had no intention of pursuing the matter, Chen Ping'an looked up into the distance. There was a towering mountain, halfway up obscured by a sea of clouds, preventing the world from seeing the scenery on the peak. It was said that only a few times a year could the view of the entire mountain be glimpsed from below. At the summit stood a vast cluster of palaces, halls, and pavilions.
The immortal scripture *Mountains and Seas Record* had records of this Divination School. Two points left the deepest impression on Chen Ping'an: First, like the Heavenly Master's Mansion on Dragon Tiger Mountain, the Divination School did not belong to the three main lineages of Daoism. They excelled in "immortal questions and answers, where all true immortals descend and impart teachings." In simple terms, this was similar to the Snow Wind Temple and the True Martial Mountain in Treasure Bottle Continent, in that they could invite down immortals. The difference lay in whether what descended to the mortal world was a deity or a true immortal.
Second, the Divination School's mountain was unrivaled in Parasol Leaf Continent for the sheer number of spirits and demons it raised. Halfway up the mountain was a street called Shout to the Heavens Street, where nothing was too strange.
Chen Ping'an had always been very interested in those lively and adorable strange creatures. He had thoughts of broadening his horizons at the Divination School. In the past, he could only imagine it, but now he was willing to actually do it.
Moreover, the sword "Long Qi" strapped to his back trembled with a hint of sword energy whenever he walked north, causing a vibration in Chen Ping'an's soul. When he walked south, the sword energy was still. This made Chen Ping'an breathe a sigh of relief. Heading north meant getting closer to Treasure Bottle Continent.
Lu Tai wholeheartedly agreed to visit Shout to the Heavens Street, saying that some of the little trinkets there were not only rare and precious but also reasonably priced. It was a must-visit for any qi refiner traveling through Parasol Leaf Continent.
A mountain can appear close but be far enough to kill a horse. The mountain didn't seem too far away, but traveling on foot, there was still a long way to go. Chen Ping'an was no longer a novice in the martial world. Along the way, he kept glancing at that cloud-wreathed high mountain, well aware of the Divination School's power. If placed in Treasure Bottle Continent, it would only be slightly inferior to the Divine Edict Sect.
This Divination School, located in the central part of Parasol Leaf Continent, was a "sect"-level immortal clan, meaning it had at least one Jade Marrow realm cultivator. Moreover, compared to Treasure Bottle Continent, which had the smallest territory, the peak immortal clans of Parasol Leaf Continent carried more weight and had deeper foundations. Additionally, with the Parasol Leaf Sect in the south and the Jasper Pendant Sect in the north, each gripping one end of the land, it seemed they occupied half the fortune of the continent. So any sect that could stand out in Parasol Leaf Continent was often a powerful force that had fought its way through blood.
With time to spare, Lu Tai chatted about some of the different customs in Parasol Leaf Continent compared to Treasure Bottle Continent. Treasure Bottle Continent was a small place. If not for Qi Zhen of the Divine Edict Sect reaching the twelfth realm, the Immortal realm, and earning the title of Heavenly Lord bestowed by the Middle Earth Ancestral Sect, there wouldn't be a single Immortal realm cultivator on the surface. That was why, on the wall of the Scholar's Sword Room, Chen Ping'an had seen someone offering a bounty on the Great Li vassal king Song Changjing, simply because they felt Treasure Bottle Continent didn't deserve to produce a tenth realm martial artist. It was both laughable and not.
In contrast, in Parasol Leaf Continent, the leaders of the Parasol Leaf Sect and the Jasper Pendant Sect were old turtles who had been lying low in the Immortal realm for several hundred years.
The Divination School had two Jade Marrow realm cultivators, a man and a woman, who were a Daoist couple, the envy of many.
It was said the reason the Divination School had that bustling Shout to the Heavens Street was that the female Jade Marrow realm cultivator was fond of raising spirits and demons. Even after becoming an earth immortal, she still frequently appeared in person, making special trips down the mountain to collect various unusual creatures. The Divination School's sect leader had simply waved his hand grandly, spending his personal fortune to build Shout to the Heavens Street, just so his Dao partner could be near at hand and wouldn't have to travel far.
Speaking of this loving relationship, Lu Tai's face was full of intoxication and longing. Chen Ping'an, looking on from the side, found it hair-raising, because he didn't know whether Lu Tai was imagining himself as the Divination School's sect leader or the female Dao partner.
Afterwards, probably stirred by this lingering romance, Lu Tai, even though he was currently dressed as a scholar-official, tirelessly talked to Chen Ping'an about plum blossom makeup, forehead yellow and dimpled rouge, the color blending and order of applying various face powders, the different preferences in dressing of fairies from the Central Continent and other continents, the merits of heavy makeup versus light touches and small dots...
Chen Ping'an endured for a long time, but finally couldn't hold back Lu Tai's seemingly endless "boudoir talk." He turned to the guy and said seriously, "Lu Tai, I beg you, stop talking to me about this. I don't want to hear it, and even if I did, it wouldn't be useful."
Chen Ping'an had said similar words only once to Ma Kuxuan, when Ma Kuxuan had been chattering endlessly before a great battle.
But for the latter, it was disgust. Chen Ping'an rarely hated anyone so much. The girl Zhu Lu who tried to assassinate him was one, the Bride Ghost who killed indiscriminately was one, and the golden-robed old flood dragon at Dragon Flood Gully was another—only a handful.
With Lu Tai, it was more resignation.
Lu Tai raised an eyebrow, then said with sorrowful indignation, "Useless? Don't you have a girl you like? If you do, don't you want her to be more beautiful? If you don't, at least you could use this to chat with someone! Do you really think fairies don't fart, and that they're all not fond of beauty? It serves you right to be single forever!"
Chen Ping'an suddenly had an epiphany and said firmly, "Yes! I do!" Of course he had a girl he liked, and he wanted her to be more beautiful... Hmm? No, no, Ning Yao was already the most beautiful!
Lu Tai shook his head as he watched. "Foolish! Even if you had a girl, you wouldn't be able to keep her." After saying that, Lu Tai wasn't done. He conjured out of thin air that bamboo folding fan and clicked his tongue. "Can't keep her, can't keep her."
Chen Ping'an gave a dry laugh.
Sensing that Chen Ping'an was about to make a move, Lu Tai squinted and warned, "Don't start a fight. You're someone who reads books every day. Even if you're not a gentleman, you're at least half a scholar. And after just a few steps, what happened to 'three strikes and you're out'?"
The ferry crossing was originally private property of the Divination School. As they headed towards the Divination School's mountain, they saw many strange sights along the way. A dozen or so people rode on a large purple python named "Purple Beard Lord," speeding along like the wind, yet all the riders sat perfectly steady. Often, rainbows brimming with sword energy flashed overhead and vanished in an instant.
Having seen both Old Dragon City and the Inverted Suspension Mountain, Chen Ping'an was no longer surprised by such things.
Lu Tai explained that the Parasol Leaf Sect was very different from the scattered states of Treasure Bottle Continent. There weren't many mountain strongholds here, but many were behemoths. Here, you couldn't just raise a tattered banner and proclaim yourself a mountain king. The kingdoms and the martial world in Parasol Leaf Continent were forces not to be underestimated.
Of course, nothing was absolute. There were definitely some low-tier immortal sects, after all, Parasol Leaf Continent's territory was simply too vast. Besides, where isn't there a rat's nest in a field?
But the scene of almost every country having an immortal mansion, as seen in Treasure Bottle Continent south of Viewing Lake Academy, certainly didn't exist in Parasol Leaf Continent.
The two walked side by side along a wide road, drawing quite a bit of attention. The women in passing carriages, whether they were immortal masters or wealthy heiresses, were happy to cast curious and appraising glances, tinged with a hint of admiration. Most of the credit went to the elegant Lu Tai, who excelled in both immortal grace and scholarly aura—a rare combination. Chen Ping'an, standing beside him, mainly served as a foil.
Lu Tai suddenly sighed with emotion. "Let's not talk about Parasol Tree Continent—it's very powerful, with a flourishing literary atmosphere and countless immortal masters, especially one Chunru Chen Chun'an guarding it. Our Parasol Leaf Continent here is quiet by nature, like a virtuous woman, content to stay out of worldly strife. Add to that its geographical advantages, with few cross-continent ferry boats, no way up to heaven and no way down to earth, so it tends to be somewhat xenophobic. Actually, it qualifies as a large paradise. But the Floating Brim Continent to the southwest is a lively place, with no clear boundary between the mountains and the mundane world. Fighting and killing all day long, and qi refiners have a strong martial ethos."
Chen Ping'an suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "Lu Tai, what realm are you? Can you tell me?"
Lu Tai gently fanned himself, the ends of his hair fluttering, and smiled. "The Lu clan doesn't really care about the height of one's realm. It only looks at how far one's vision for 'viewing the river' can reach."
Chen Ping'an nodded. "So it's not high."
Lu Tai twitched the corner of his mouth. "Relative to the cultivation geniuses of the Central Continent, it's certainly not high. But compared to you, more than enough."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "I know someone a little older than me, a seventh realm martial artist. At his doorstep, he encountered a Parasol Tree Continent sword cultivator who looked like a fox, probably ninth realm. At home, I have two little ones, a fire python and a water snake. They're probably close to sixth and seventh realm now. What about you? What realm exactly?"
Lu Tai still refused to reveal his realm, but said smugly, "Both my masters—one taught me skills, the other taught me the Dao—are in the Upper Five Realms."
Chen Ping'an said, "Oh."
Lu Tai glanced at him. "What? Not convinced, or not impressed?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. "I'm convinced."
Lu Tai said with a sly smile, "Chen Ping'an, this look of yours—convinced on the surface but not in your heart—are you hoping someone will toast you while you lie down?"
Chen Ping'an was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Lu Tai snapped his fan shut with a *pa* sound. "After you die, there should always be someone to burn paper money and offer a drink at your grave, right?"
Chen Ping'an said, annoyed, "So many twisty thoughts."
Lu Tai laughed heartily, then opened his fan, letting the breeze flow. Truly a crisp autumn day.
They walked for half a day and finally, at dusk, reached the foot of the Divination School's mountain. The mountain was named Hanging Clothes. According to Lu Tai, the name implied that the ruler could govern with folded hands and hanging sleeves—a concept of effortless rule. But why a mountain occupied by the Divination School would have a Confucian name, even Lu Tai couldn't explain. An hour later, in the twilight, Chen Ping'an and Lu Tai finally saw Shout to the Heavens Street. It was brightly lit, as bright as day, and even at night, it was still crowded with visitors.
Once they entered the packed street, Lu Tai showed Chen Ping'an what it meant to spend money like water, and what it meant to throw away gold without batting an eye.
Shout to the Heavens Street was indeed full of strange and miraculous things.
Chen Ping'an's horizons were broadened.
Stepping into the first shop, Lu Tai bought two little spirits Chen Ping'an had never even heard of. One was called Tongzi, or "Pupil." From the shopkeeper's almost ingratiating introduction, Chen Ping'an learned this thing could be raised in the owner's pupil. Not only could it absorb a bit of celestial qi daily, but most importantly, whenever the owner saw a stunningly beautiful woman, it could help the owner "sharpen his eyesight." For qi refiners cultivating techniques like the Celestial Eye, this creature was a favorite.
Lu Tai spent a full eight hundred snowflower coins to buy it and said he wanted to give it to Chen Ping'an. Chen Ping'an naturally refused. Lu Tai shook his head with regret and said, "Don't you want to improve your eyesight every day?" The implication was that with him, Lu Tai, in front of Chen Ping'an, and the Tongzi in his eyes, looking at him would be cultivation.
The old shopkeeper looked at the extraordinarily handsome Lu Tai, then glanced at Chen Ping'an, with a playful smile.
Chen Ping'an got goosebumps and pretended not to understand anything.
Compared to the Tongzi that Lu Tai had taken, a group of lively little figures beside the Tongzi actually appealed more to Chen Ping'an. They were as small as rice grains and were called "Erzi," or "Ear Child," a homophone for "son." They were little spirits that lived in the ear. Using the owner's eardrum as a drumhead, they would quietly drum when the owner fell asleep. The owner and others wouldn't hear it, but it could strengthen the owner's yang qi emissions, invisibly deterring the many evil spirits that walked at night.
This was a type of spirit that wealthy and powerful families would definitely buy with heavy gold if they accidentally encountered hauntings or possession.
Many qi refiners of the lower five realms would also carry one if they needed to travel through mountains, forests, lakes, and marshes, since their realms were low.
Besides the Tongzi, Lu Tai also bought a spider the size of a fingernail, colorful and very cute. But its name alone was enough for Chen Ping'an to keep his distance—Spring Dream Spider. It liked to pluck and collect beautiful, romantic dreams. When a person fell asleep, it would weave a small, colorful web over the owner's head, and the person would indulge in the most luxurious spring night in their dreams. Spring Dream Spiders were often used by sects and gangs as props to temper their disciples' minds, and they were also one of the essential items for Daoist sects that advocated dual cultivation.
Near the Spring Dream Spider, in a row of small cages, were many of its kind, including the pitch-black Nightmare Spider, each with unique functions.
Chen Ping'an naturally couldn't appreciate this type of spirit.
But Lu Tai, oddly, really liked them. He spent six hundred snowflower coins just because he thought the Spring Dream Spider was cute.
The old shopkeeper's smile became even more meaningful.
After that, in another shop, Lu Tai got into a conflict of pride with a mid-five realms qi refiner over a rare spirit. This time, Chen Ping'an didn't think Lu Tai was being extravagant. He felt the twelve small summer coins were well spent. The reason Lu Tai won was because the bidding opponent ran out of immortal coin money, coupled with Lu Tai's imposing manner, making the man curse and leave the shop.
In Lu Tai's palm rested a very rare lard-gem beast, bouncing lively on his hand. The little creature was completely made of fine jade, condensed from jade essence. Its body was a top-grade heavenly material and earthly treasure, one of the best materials for making talisman jade plaques. But the lard-gem beast had a fierce temper; once adult, if caught, it would choose suicide, so it couldn't be raised.
The one in Lu Tai's palm had been captured by chance by a cultivator. Because it was still young, it hadn't committed "mutual destruction," so it survived. With proper care, it could become a priceless "living spirit treasure." The only drawback was that raising a lard-gem beast cost more than buying it, as it only ate snowflower coins.
The shopkeeper, a plain-looking woman, laughed and said that if the Divination School didn't already have a pair of lard-gem beasts, such a good item would have been snapped up with heavy gold on the same day.
The two wandered along the street, popping in and out of shops.
Chen Ping'an had actually taken a liking to three things, but he hesitated and ultimately couldn't bear to spend a fortune.
One was a three-legged golden toad, one of the celestial beasts, said to increase its owner's fortune.
One was a silver-white treasure-seeking mouse, with a keen nose for celestial earthly treasures.
The other was a little thing called a "wine worm," which only emerged from aged fine wine. If placed in newly brewed wine, after just a few hours, it would give the taste of several years of aging. Naturally, it was a favorite of all wine lovers.
Chen Ping'an didn't spend any money, but Lu Tai continued to spend unceasingly. He bought a dragon-whiskered carp, the size of a palm, with the body of a carp but two long whiskers like a flood dragon's. Its whiskers were one of the heavenly materials and earthly treasures. But compared to the two golden flood dragon whiskers that Chen Ping'an had turned into the Binding Demon Rope, the quality was naturally far inferior. However, this type of dragon-whiskered carp had the advantage of being able to reproduce. Imagine an immortal sect buying a few, carefully breeding them, and after a thousand years, they'd have a pond full of dragon-whiskered carps.
Lu Tai also bought an ox-roar fish, no longer than a finger, but capable of making a thunderous roar.
Chen Ping'an simply couldn't understand what Lu Tai bought it for. To scare people?
Finally, at the end of the street, Chen Ping'an saw a group of talisman paper figures in a shop, priced differently, cut into various shapes and styles, roughly divided into three sizes by height: finger height, palm height, arm height. They were lifelike and could sweep courtyards, tend to flowers and birds, help move and sun-dry books, and so on.
Paper figures were quite popular in the world, especially in wealthy households. They also had grades and ranks. The skill, fame, and school of the talisman-drawing master largely determined the price, and the quality of the paper also mattered. There were entire sects and trading houses dedicated to making paper figures, with huge profits.
But these adorable little paper figures, though Chen Ping'an found them extremely amusing, he would never be tempted to buy them.
They were expensive and not cost-effective. Buying them would be useless, and they weren't cheap or good in any way.
But Lu Tai bought a whole stack of folded talisman paper little people, all the smallest kind. Spending five hundred snowflower coins, Lu Tai said that when he was bored, he would have them put on martial arts performances on the table—a great way to relieve boredom...
Chen Ping'an had nothing to say to Lu Tai when it came to spending money.
About three or four li further up the mountain from Shout to the Heavens Street, there was a Rest Pavilion, which meant all outsiders of the Divination School had to stop there and couldn't continue climbing.
Chen Ping'an and the laden Lu Tai walked together into that Rest Pavilion. Along the way, Chen Ping'an couldn't help but glance at Lu Tai a few times, very curious about where he had hidden all those spirits and goblins. Lu Tai did have a dimension-object, but while talisman papers and talismans could be stored in it, live things like spirits, which have yang qi, absolutely could not be put inside. A single one would cause an explosion, and could even shatter the dimension-object.
They rested a bit in the pavilion, taking in the night view around the Divination School, then returned near Shout to the Heavens Street to find an inn to stay at. The two parted ways immediately, because Lu Tai wanted to stay in an immortal mansion, the kind with abundant qi, while Chen Ping'an naturally just found a random inn to sleep for the night.
Nothing happened that night.
Under the Divination School's nose, it would be hard for anything to happen.
The prerequisite was not to provoke those arrogant Divination School disciples.
They had agreed to meet at the Rest Pavilion, then descend the mountain and head north. But Chen Ping'an arrived early at the pavilion, watched the magnificent sunrise over the eastern sea, and waited until the sun was high. Yet there was no sign of Lu Tai. Just as he was about to go find him, he saw Lu Tai yawning as he climbed the mountain. Lu Tai waved at Chen Ping'an, then refused to take another step forward, as if any more steps would be a waste. Chen Ping'an sighed, walked out of the pavilion, and went down the mountain with him.
The previous night, Chen Ping'an had been worried that Lu Tai's big spending on Shout to the Heavens Street would cause trouble. It's always better not to flaunt wealth. But after they descended the mountain and traveled north for six or seven hundred li without any incidents, Chen Ping'an finally relaxed.
Following the occasional "prompts" from the long sword on his back, Chen Ping'an made several adjustments, traveling in the general direction. This inevitably meant bypassing official highways and crossing mountains and rivers.
Lu Tai didn't object to this at all. But whenever they encountered a town market, a tavern, or a shop, he would stop. Repaying the favor, Chen Ping'an didn't refuse.
Along this journey, Chen Ping'an traveled without much excitement—just silent mountains, forests, and rivers, where he practiced fists and swords. He never saw Lu Tai cultivate. Only when they reached bustling, crowded marketplaces would Lu Tai perk up, as if entering a cave paradise, extremely excited. Over time, Lu Tai taught Chen Ping'an one thing: what it truly meant to be wealthy and refined.
Lu Tai always managed to eat and drink the best for the least money. In a single dish, he could taste a hundred or a thousand years of culture, pulling out several literary giants and sages. In every pot of wine, he could recite a few beautiful essays and poems.
Occasionally, he would pick out an old book from a bookshop, holding it in one hand, turning the pages in a seemingly lazy way, but in Chen Ping'an's eyes, it always seemed that a scholar should read exactly like that.
Whenever Lu Tai stayed at an inn, he would almost every day brew a pot of tea. He never called Chen Ping'an to drink. He would sit alone, saying nothing, just drinking tea. He was calm and unhurried, full of the meaning of conforming to rules and understanding etiquette. When he went over a game record alone, that presence—Chen Ping'an had seen it in Cui Dongshan.
Lu Tai also had a bamboo flute. Among the mountains and waters, its sound was particularly melodious and pleasant. Holding his bamboo fan, he sat lazily and casually anywhere, looking up at the moon—also full of charm.
Chen Ping'an knew a saying: "to be a cultural snob," a very derogatory term.
But Lu Tai was not that.
It was like how Chen Ping'an was a muddy-legged peasant at heart, while Lu Tai was a born romantic, a seed of learning.
Wealth is being rich; nobility is knowing decorum.
This was a true child of wealth and nobility.
Chen Ping'an couldn't learn Fan Er's brilliant heart, and he felt he couldn't learn Lu Tai's unrestrained elegance either.
One day, Chen Ping'an stood on a tall tree and looked into the distance. To his surprise, among the uninhabited majestic mountains and ridges, there was a castle.
Before this, the two had encountered no mountain or river spirits along the way.
This place was already a thousand li from the dominant Divination School in central Parasol Leaf Continent.
Chen Ping'an originally didn't want to tell Lu Tai about the castle, hoping to just keep their heads down and travel. But Lu Tai, who had never been interested in mountain and river scenery, today unexpectedly leaped onto a branch, shook his bamboo fan, and laughed loudly. "Not bad, not bad! This is a perfect feng shui spot for murder, robbery, and framing others."
Chen Ping'an didn't understand the meaning of these words at first, but he soon got it.
Around them in the forest, there were furtive figures, rustling. Although hidden and subtle, Chen Ping'an's eyesight and hearing were excellent, so he immediately knew they were surrounded.
Chen Ping'an looked around and said slowly, "Fourth realm martial artist, plus two life-bound flying swords, and some talismans."
Lu Tai understood tacitly and smiled. "Dragon Gate realm qi refiner. Coincidentally, I also have two life-bound flying swords and some magic treasures."
One was in white robes, carrying a sword on his back, with a wine gourd at his waist that hadn't been used for drinking in a long time.
One was in green robes, with a pendant hanging—a gentleman never leaves his jade.
The two faced a large group of bandits who had plotted and followed them for a thousand li. There must be many mountain qi refiners among them.
Lu Tai gently fanned himself and said with a smile, "Before we start fighting, shouldn't we reason with them a bit?"
Chen Ping'an twitched the corner of his mouth and patted the wine gourd at his waist, not saying a word.
The reasoning to be done was all right here.
Chapter 288: Facing the Enemy
In the mountain forest, the autumn wind was harsh and murderous.
No wonder Cui Dongshan said that murder and robbery bring a golden belt.
Chen Ping'an's heart was heavy. This ambush reminded him of the one in Shuihu Country's forest, when the buying chest building assassins and the Colored Garment Kingdom grandmaster Lin Gushan joined forces. It had been extremely insidious. If not for the defection of the green bamboo sword immortal Su Lang, it would have been hard to say who would have lived and who would have died.
On this northern journey, Chen Ping'an had been careful enough, often climbing high to look far into the distance. Even when following Lu Tai through markets and alleys, he kept an eye out for tails. The fact that this group had managed not to reveal any trace spoke volumes. They had planned with clear intent against the two who were unaware. If they weren't confident, they wouldn't have shown their hand.
With a great battle imminent, Lu Tai felt a bit guilty. "Chen Ping'an, you're not really just a fourth realm martial artist, are you?"
Chen Ping'an was stunned, not knowing why he asked, and nodded. "Of course it's true."
Lu Tai, a little embarrassed, honestly confessed, "I thought you were fifth realm, and were deliberately hiding your strength in front of me. That would be normal. Who doesn't have some tricks in the martial world? So I inflated my own realm a little. Actually, I'm not Dragon Gate realm, but the sixth realm, Observing Seas realm."
Chen Ping'an glared at him. "In a time like this, you're still playing games?! Are you asking for death?"
Lu Tai, knowing he was in the wrong, didn't retort, but grumbled inwardly.
Lu Tai tapped his toe, the high branch swayed, and he rose to the top of the tree. His expression seemed leisurely, but it wasn't. He had already closed his bamboo fan and was lightly tapping it against his palm.
Lu Tai was, after all, an Observing Seas realm qi refiner. Moreover, his family had deep roots and a vast collection of books. He liked to learn things in a scattershot manner, so he had a variety of mixed techniques. He just wasn't an expert in any of them. But this "mixed without specialization" was only relative to cultivation geniuses with the same family background and talent as Lu Tai. Compared to those wilderness roaming cultivators who, relying on scraps of techniques, barely scraped into the middle five realms, Lu Tai was a cut above in both insight and means. However, whether these advantages could be turned into absolute certainty in a life-or-death fight was debatable.
Those wilderness cultivators who put their lives on the line, even if not exactly desperadoes, once trapped in a dead end or tempted by enough profit, would choose to fight for their lives. They would be completely different from the well-bred sect disciples—vicious, cunning, willing to trade wounds for deaths.
Chen Ping'an asked softly, "Do you need me to buy you some time? You can first get a rough idea of their backgrounds. I don't have enough experience fighting qi refiners freely, and since we're not familiar with each other's methods, I could easily hold you back."
Lu Tai replied with his mind voice, "Good."
Crisp and decisive.
Lu Tai, probably afraid Chen Ping'an might think he was standing idly by, added, "As soon as I find something, I'll immediately tell you about the technique's origin and how to defend against or break it."
Chen Ping'an nodded and pulled a Inch-Spirit-Contraction Talisman from his sleeve to be prepared.
Chen Ping'an said, "Life-or-death battles cannot be taken lightly."
Lu Tai smiled. "Got it."
Chen Ping'an took a deep breath.
Back in the day, when he hadn't even started practicing fists, relying only on the rules and geographical advantages of Pearl Cliff Grotto-Heaven, he almost managed to kill Cai Jinjian and Fu Nanhua one after another in that alley.
Why should others not be able to kill Chen Ping'an and Lu Tai?
Chen Ping'an still stood on the branch, even though it made him an easy target. But the field of vision was wide. In a confrontation, knowing yourself and knowing your enemy is key. Taking a bit of risk to see the big picture was better than blundering around like a fly.
This group of bandits, who had been plotting since Shout to the Heavens Street of the Divination School, didn't appear in a crowd. They came in twos and threes, but even the visible number reached over a dozen.
Surrounded by wolves.
Chen Ping'an asked in a deep voice, "Who goes there?"
No one answered.
Mountain immortals seeking fortune from a thousand li away, robbing and looting, were not like street thugs who would argue all day just to avoid a fight.
Often, a seemingly heroic self-introduction could easily reveal one's signature skill and the sect's trump card.
Especially those who liked to yell out the name of their move before striking—wasn't that just asking for trouble?
If unlucky, it could mean death.
For example, the old golden core sword cultivator from Osmanthus Island had a flying sword named "Remnant Shade." One could tell at a glance it was a flying sword inclined towards yin and near water.
So using a technique or magic treasure rich in yang qi would often produce a more significant effect.
Imagine if that old golden core sword cultivator from Osmanthus Island encountered an enemy on the road and had to report the name of his flying sword "Remnant Shade" to his mortal enemy—would he do that?
Although Chen Ping'an hadn't seen Lu Tai's two flying swords with his own eyes, after hearing they were called "Needlepoint" and "Awn," he could roughly deduce that they were the type with killing power concentrated on a point, not a surface.
Lu Tai silently told Chen Ping'an the current situation.
Among the enemy camp, directly in front of Chen Ping'an, besides the burly man wielding an iron whip, the man standing beside him required extra caution.
This person was clearly a sword master who had taken an unorthodox path. He wasn't a qi refiner, but he was different from a pure martial artist. Although he had no life-bound flying sword, he was a martial wanderer who specialized in flashy swordplay, focusing on commanding the sword with qi. It wasn't the flying sword of a sword cultivator, but when a sword master struck, it could look like a flying sword to the casual observer.
As for the burly iron whip wielder, it was hard to say whether he was a qi refiner following the military-related method of horizontal training, or a pure martial artist. The latter was more likely.
The burly man had muscles like knotted rope, nearly nine feet tall, and an imposing aura. He held a double whip. Through the sparse branches, he looked up at Chen Ping'an and sneered, "Good kid, you're really slippery. Your steps on the way from the Divination School to the Rest Pavilion were deliberately uneven, deep and shallow. You almost fooled me into thinking you were just a third realm martial artist. After leaving Hanging Clothes Mountain and traveling a few hundred li, I found your footprints to be so light and even. Forget your cultivation rank, just this alertness and caution alone..."
The burly man raised his left iron whip and grinned ferociously. "You deserve to have your head smashed open by one strike of my whip!"
He spoke in the Parasol Leaf Continent dialect.
Lu Tai was no longer the sissy who loved cosmetics, nor the romantic scholar-official. He pointed out the origins of their mortal enemies, speaking rapidly and concisely.
Southeast direction: a Daoist using talismans. Most likely, he hadn't managed to recruit a real military cultivator, so he was settling for talisman armor to serve as vanguard infantry. If you add a couple of Mohist mechanism puppets, the power of our two flying swords will be greatly reduced, since these two types of lifeless objects have a hard-to-break talisman core or a hard-to-locate core. It's unknown if this Daoist has any talismans specifically designed to counter sword cultivators and flying swords. It's unlikely; usually, only golden core and nascent soul cultivators can afford those precious talismans. But if we're unlucky, it's hard to say. For example, there are two high-grade talismans called "Sword Sheath" and "Seal Mountain," specifically for dealing with elusive flying swords. They can trap the flying sword and temporarily seal it. If a sword cultivator loses his flying sword, even just for a moment, his combat power falls to rock bottom. So our greatest reliance, our combined four flying swords, needs to be most wary of this. Even if we have to send them out to kill, we must always keep an eye on any slight movement from the talisman Daoist's sleeves.
Southwest direction: a qi refiner studying wood techniques. He's probably the one who masked all traces. He likely raises flower spirits and wood demons. Watch out for grass, trees, and vines. Because they're inconspicuous, they can be even more insidious and troublesome than a sword master's flying sword.
Chen Ping'an silently memorized everything while staring at the burly man and the sword master, but his peripheral vision was fixed on the talisman Daoist. He sneered, "Since my friend and I dared to spend so much money on Shout to the Heavens Street in plain view of everyone, we haven't been worried about attracting jealous people."
The burly man was highly amused. "Little brat, don't try to fool me with words. You're two outsiders who can't even speak the Parasol Leaf Continent dialect fluently. Even if you are from some sect, so what? Even if you have an earth immortal master, so what? Big deal?"
The sword master beside the burly man was a slender man in black robes, with a pale face and slightly sunken eyes, giving him a gloomy look. He smiled. "Of course it's a big deal. Unfortunately, it's too far away to reach."
The burly man suddenly burst into laughter, and the sword master also smiled knowingly.
The two, who were well acquainted, both looked up at Lu Tai, who was higher up. The middle-aged sword master asked, "I've been watching you two cooing and billing each other all the way, all lovey-dovey. It's fired up a bellyful of wicked fire in me. You need to take responsibility. If you’re sensible, you might just keep your little life."
Lu Tai ignored this provocation, maintaining his composure, and continued to explain the situation to Chen Ping'an in their mind voice.
Behind us to the north is a yin-yang array master setting up his formation. There's also a young boy and girl nearby, probably his proud disciples. Actually, this array master is the most troublesome. Chen Ping'an, at the first opportunity, I'll kill him first. The reason they're not in a hurry to strike now is that they're waiting for the array master to complete this half-baked Moving Mountain Array. Don't worry, I'll find the right moment to intervene; I won't let the master and his two disciples succeed. But before I act, you must distract them. Even just making them lose focus for a moment will be enough.
Chen Ping'an nodded quietly.
Lu Tai continued to reveal the secrets.
Besides the array master and his two disciples, there is also a heretical cultivator, neither human nor ghost, with a very heavy aura of yin and evil. This type of qi refiner constantly wanders among graveyards and tombs. They can imprison wandering ghosts in spiritual tools and use them for their own purposes, raising fierce ghosts using the method of vermin breeding.
Further behind us, to the left and right, there are two more people, stationed as backup. If you and I try to escape, they will intercept us.
From this, we can infer that the main force of the enemy camp is to the south.
The middle-aged sword master, seeing Lu Tai unresponsive, felt not only wicked fire but also some anger. A malicious grin appeared on his face. "Have you two gone all the way yet?"
Chen Ping'an completely didn't understand what that meant. He only thought the sword master was speaking some mountain jargon or just nonsense to be ignored.
But he sensed a rare flash of anger in Lu Tai.
Then Lu Tai stopped communicating with Chen Ping'an mentally. He changed his mind, fixed his gaze on that middle-aged sword master, and said with a dark expression, "Chen Ping'an, this disaster was entirely caused by me. You just head north. I'll deal with them myself."
Chen Ping'an asked, "Can you kill them all and get away safely on your own?"
Lu Tai didn't speak.
Chen Ping'an said, annoyed, "Do you like dying without a burial ground so much that no one can even find a grave for you?"
Lu Tai spat a couple of times and laughed. "Don't jinx me."
Chen Ping'an stood still, unmoving, brooding for a moment before finally responding to Lu Tai, "Then stop talking nonsense and kill more people."
Lu Tai suddenly sent Chen Ping'an a thought: "Move!"
Chen Ping'an didn't hesitate for a moment.
He twisted the Inch-Spirit-Contraction Talisman from his sleeve, a true copy of the Brush-Heart Calligraphy.
He vanished in a flash.
The middle-aged sword master in the black robe had a tight heartstring and knew something was wrong.
Fortunately, the burly man had already stepped forward, not only putting himself in front of the sword master but also swinging his whip fiercely towards the empty space ahead. "Interesting!"
Chen Ping'an appeared out of thin air in front of them. Instead of avoiding the iron whip's momentum, he pressed forward even more resolutely, determined to fight at close quarters. But he also slightly tilted his head and crouched, using the sword "Long Qi" on his back to take the heavy iron whip, while punching at the burly man's chest with a Divine Might Strike.
One punch would land, then ten, then a hundred would follow.
With enough spirit and will, accumulating punch after punch, even a legendary Great Golden Immortal's indestructible body could be shattered!
The middle-aged sword master was disoriented for only a moment before a flash of green light flew from his wide sleeve.
The burly man sprayed a mouthful of blood and staggered back five or six steps. He wielded his iron whip in front of him, creating an impenetrable barrier, while roaring, "Protect the array master!"
Almost simultaneously, Chen Ping'an moved his mind and silently uttered, "Fifteen."
From the Wine Gourd at his waist, a slender, emerald-green sword rainbow shot out instantly.
The talisman Daoist sneered, "So he really is a sword cultivator."
The burly man felt a tearing pain in his left shoulder. His mind was shaken. How could it be this fast?!
In the interval after landing the first punch and before delivering the third Divine Might Strike, driven by the fist intent,
Fifteen had only just left the Wine Gourd. With a *ding*, it had just chopped through the middle-aged sword master's flying sword light and was immediately enveloped by a red-light talisman, crashing around uselessly, hitting barriers everywhere.
The sword master's expression was fierce. With a wave of his sleeve, another "flying sword" shot out.
Chen Ping'an again ignored this masterful command of the sword. He moved almost like a ghost behind the burly man, slamming the third punch solidly into his back.
The fierce fist force went straight through his heart.
The fourth punch pressed down and shifted right, directly striking his spine.
The old Daoist, using another precious secret talisman, also trapped "First One", which had just cut off the sword master's green light again.
The old Daoist's face was ashen, his eyelids twitching. He was heartbroken. This little bastard actually had two flying swords?!
And the lad's vermillion wine gourd—wasn't that a Sword Nurturing Gourd?
At the thought, the old Daoist's eyes burned with greed. Good, good, good!
He hadn't wasted his two precious treasures. As long as they succeeded, he would still have made a huge profit!
The burly man's thick protective qi had been shattered after just three punches. So Chen Ping'an's fourth punch hit the spine for real.
A series of slight cracking sounds came from the burly man's back. Others might not care, but the man himself was terrified out of his wits.
Another punch and his spine would truly be broken!
The burly man didn't dare hold back any longer. He stomped hard, his left hand gripping his right wrist. His right hand formed two fingers together, and he struck a pose like a lion or tiger shaking its shoulders. His eyes immediately turned white, and his qi and blood, as well as his bones, began to swell magnificently...
Like a divine being descending to the world.
Then Chen Ping'an's fifth punch sent him flying like a kite with a broken string, straight forward, landing heavily on the ground.
But Chen Ping'an wasn't having an easy time either. He endured a heavy iron whip strike on his back. Although it hit "Long Qi," about half the force still entered his body.
After that, First One and Fifteen were trapped by the talisman Daoist's secret method, temporarily unable to free themselves. To successfully deliver the fifth Divine Might Strike, he also had to suffer a sword light from the middle-aged sword master, which pierced his shoulder, blood streaming down.
But Chen Ping'an's momentum didn't drop—it rose. The cohesion of his soul and the surging fist intent were almost visible to the naked eye. There was absolutely no sign of a dying struggle. It swelled rapidly.
Like the sunrise over the eastern sea, destined to reach its zenith.
He couldn't help but grin.
This little bit of injury. What's the big deal.