Chapter: 353 - Five Thousand Soldiers Surround the Mountain
In the end, only Chen Ping'an, Pei Qian, and Yao Xianzhi saw the sunlight illuminating Zhaoping Peak.
Pei Qian's eyes were wide open as she leaned on the railing, staring intently at the great sun leaping out of the East Sea, as if she were looking at a huge gold cake and wanted to pocket it.
After a brief moment of astonishment and emotion, Yao Xianzhi didn't look much longer. After all, he had witnessed it countless times before—the moon surging over the great river and the stars hanging over the wilderness at his hometown's border were no less impressive than this sunrise. The gifted young man was somewhat surprised. How could Pei Qian stare at the rising sun for so long without her eyes hurting? Chen Ping'an lightly jumped and sat on the railing at the edge of the cliff. Yao Xianzhi had long wanted to do the same, but last night, with Grandpa and Sister Jinzhi present, he didn't dare act rashly. Later, when the most admirable Chen Ping'an sat at the stone table, he still felt too embarrassed. Now that Chen Ping'an had taken the lead, Yao Xianzhi quickly followed, sitting beside Chen Ping'an to gaze at the East Sea. It felt as if his mood had broadened, and he was filled with longing and hope for his future life in Mirage City.
As they descended the mountain, the old general looked frustrated, complaining that Chen Ping'an was unfair. Before sunrise, he hadn't even given him a heads-up, causing him to miss that magnificent sight and waste his time climbing the mountain for nothing. Chen Ping'an ignored the old childlike Yao Zhen. With a single sentence from Yao Jinzhi—"Grandpa, I made an exception last night and let you drink. Aren't you satisfied?"—the old general immediately quieted down.
Both Yao Zhen and Yao Xianzhi, the grandfather and grandson closest to Chen Ping'an, knew that they would soon have to say goodbye to him.
Parting was near, and a touch of sorrow lingered in their hearts.
But the old and the young were military men accustomed to the wind and sand of the battlefield. A little sorrow at parting—just keep it in their hearts. There would always be a chance to meet again and drink together. Acting like sentimental girls would only be laughable.
Finally, they arrived at Peach Leaf Ferry outside Mirage City. The Yao family stopped their carriages and horses.
Chen Ping'an carried the blue bamboo book chest on his back.
The sword-wielding young woman, Yao Lingzhi, straightforwardly clasped her fists to thank Chen Ping'an. "Young Master Chen, I wish you a smooth journey north! May your martial fortune flourish!"
Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded, then reminded her, "In martial arts cultivation, you cannot be impatient. The more talent you have, the less you should focus solely on breaking through realms. The fist technique emphasizes releasing and retracting freely. If you want to move lightly but with heavy fist intent, you must lay a solid foundation. Dripping water wears through stone, and stone is like a formidable enemy. That dripping water is the true essence of your martial arts. Miss Lingzhi, as long as you can calm your heart, you will definitely achieve great success."
Yao Lingzhi snorted coldly, but her eyes held a hint of laughter. "You're not much older than me, yet you act so old and solemn!"
The young woman turned and left.
Yao Zhen didn't say much, just two words: "Take care." The blue bamboo brush pot, engraved with an essay by a sage, had been carefully put away by the old man, who was determined to treasure it as a family heirloom.
Yao Xianzhi had shamelessly begged Chen Ping'an for a calligraphy sample yesterday, cherishing it as the number one treasure in the world. Today, the young man didn't say much either, only that he hoped Young Master Chen would definitely visit Mirage City in the future.
Yao Jinzhi, wearing a veiled hat, unexpectedly said she wanted to walk a stretch of Peach Leaf Ferry alone with Chen Ping'an.
Yao Xianzhi whistled, only to receive an elbow to the waist from Yao Lingzhi, making the young boy break out in cold sweat from the pain.
Yao Jinzhi had sharp eyes and noticed the jade token at Chen Ping'an's waist. It was slightly different from before; she had turned it over.
Before leaving Crane City and arriving at Peach Leaf Ferry, Chen Ping'an's jade token had only shown the side with "Ancestral Hall Continues the Incense" facing outward.
But today, it bore the six ancient seal characters "Taiping Mountain Seeks the True Self."
Yao Jinzhi's mind stirred slightly, and she took a deep look at this young man who had come from the Northern Jin Kingdom to the Great Springs Capital.
She exchanged some polite pleasantries, nothing out of the ordinary, but her words felt sincere, simmering slowly like a gentle flame, especially moving.
However, Chen Ping'an accepted the sentiment yet didn't fully accept it. The flavor of it, the taste of it, was probably something only the two of them understood in their hearts.
Finally, Yao Jinzhi casually mentioned, as if chatting about family matters, the origin of the character "Zhi" in the names of the Yao generation. It turned out that many years ago, a fortune-teller traveling through the borderlands had unfortunate encountered a time of war and chaos. He was saved by Grandpa Yao Zhen, and in return, he performed a divination for the Yao family. Among other things, he mentioned that an extraordinary figure had appeared among the Yao ancestors. The character "Zhi" was that person's destined character, and it was naturally compatible with Yao Zhen's grandchildren. As long as everyone had a "Zhi" in their name, they could bask in the glory of that ancestor, helping to gather wind and water. Perhaps some younger generation member, protected by ancestral blessings, would achieve unimaginable success. Yao Zhen didn't think much of it; he just considered it a good omen. So he added a "Zhi" to the names of Yao Jinzhi and the other children. There were over twenty people in this generation of the Yao family, and everyone had it, including those from other branches. Yao Zhen showed no favoritism.
Among them, the three Yao members closest to Yao Zhen—Yao Jinzhi, Yao Xianzhi, and Yao Lingzhi—were the most outstanding.
After hearing this, Chen Ping'an seemed to understand something.
Finally, Yao Jinzhi performed a curtsey to Chen Ping'an, graceful and charming.
Chen Ping'an clasped his fists in return. After a moment's hesitation, he sincerely said, "Miss Jinzhi, besides helping the old general strategize in Mirage City and guarding against all kinds of petty people, you also need to take care of your own safety. If I may be so bold, if you ever encounter a difficulty in the future that you think you can't overcome, why not ask the old general and let him decide? You don't have to bear everything on your own."
Yao Jinzhi, for the first time, took off her veiled hat, smiled radiantly, but said nothing, just looked at Chen Ping'an.
Chen Ping'an clasped his fists again to say goodbye.
Yao Jinzhi, a proper young lady from a noble family, surprisingly imitated the martial artists by clasping her fists. Her moist eyes were full of unusual brilliance, and she said loudly, "The green hills remain unchanged; the blue waters flow on!"
Chen Ping'an had no choice but to respond, "Until we meet again."
Without even tasting fine wine, Yao Jinzhi's cheeks flushed with peach blossom pink.
In the distance, Zhu Lian grinned and said, "A beauty's favor is hard to bear; the most lingering are those glancing autumn waves."
Sui Youbian stood with her sword on her back, turning a blind eye.
Chen Ping'an returned to his group. Pei Qian carried a slanted bundle and held a mountain walking staff. From now on, there would be no carriage to ride, but she was eager to try. What was walking to fear? Otherwise, wouldn't the calluses on her soles have grown for nothing?
Chen Ping'an waved goodbye to the Yao family's procession.
Yao Xianzhi, on horseback, lifted his bottom high and waved vigorously at Chen Ping'an.
Chen Ping'an and his group continued northward. He softly remarked, "It's a pity there wasn't a heavy snowfall. Otherwise, we could climb Zhaoping Peak again to see what Mirage City looks like as a paradise on earth."
Pei Qian chuckled, "Then why don't we wait until it snows to leave?"
In the past two days, she had been clinging to Yao Jinzhi, calling her "Fairy Sister" and trying hard to please the woman she considered "a beautiful lady who dares not show her face." Afterward, Yao Jinzhi indeed gave her a farewell gift, packed in an exquisite multi-compartment wooden box. Among the items were a few hard-won, unique ancient coins from previous dynasties, an old-fashioned small wooden carved lingzhi mushroom, and a dozen other odds and ends. Pei Qian had initially thought she could trick a few taels of silver at best—Chen Ping'an wouldn't stop her, and she could carry it without weight. But Yao Jinzhi had given her such a big problem that Pei Qian didn't dare make decisions on her own. It was Yao Jinzhi who took Pei Qian's hand, handed the multi-compartment box to Chen Ping'an, and explained that the items inside were all curious but not valuable. She hoped Chen Ping'an wouldn't refuse. Chen Ping'an wanted to decline or just pick one piece, but Yao Jinzhi insisted. Chen Ping'an had no choice but to accept on Pei Qian's behalf, placing it in the bamboo chest. Pei Qian was not at all displeased by this; she considered it only natural. A big wooden box—heavy. If she had to carry it in her bundle all the way to that Tianque Peak, wouldn't it be exhausting?
Now, while urging Chen Ping'an to wait for the heavy snow in Mirage City, she was gleefully thinking that another parting might net her the real gold and silver she coveted most.
Chen Ping'an laughed and said, "So, should I leave you in Mirage City?"
Pei Qian adjusted her bundle, gripped her walking staff, and with the iron backbone of a weather vane, declared with great righteousness, "Suddenly, I feel that traveling is more important!"
Chen Ping'an said to the four, "We didn't ask the Yao family for warhorses, so we'll have to walk to the celestial ferry crossing at Tianque Peak."
Zhu Lian immediately smiled and said, "Walking more can nourish the bones and muscles."
—
On the Peach Leaf Ferry river, there was a small black-canopied boat far from the Yao family procession. Du Hanling, the head of the Golden Summit Temple, slowly withdrew a palm as white as jade and said to a young female cultivator beside him, "Go send a message to the Duke of Shen: don't provoke Chen Ping'an anymore. This person is a true disciple of the Taiping Mountain Patriarch Hall. Killing him would not only bring disaster to the Great Springs Dynasty but also invite the destruction of our Golden Summit Temple."
The female cultivator rose and departed, vanishing in a flash.
Another female cultivator, who remained to brew tea for the patriarch, was a celestial woman with minor cultivation achievements, her skin fairer than snow.
This Nascent Soul Earth Immortal sat in silence, his gaze indifferent. "All our efforts came to nothing."
Due to their extreme rarity, the jade token of the Taiping Mountain Patriarch Hall at Chen Ping'an's waist was only circulated among the larger celestial mansions in the mountains.
However, ordinary Earth Immortals, whether Golden Core or Nascent Soul, certainly knew the inside story.
After all, that female Daoist, Huang Ting, had given many sects a hard time in the early years. She had only been quiet for the past sixty years, either in seclusion to break through realms or being restrained by the patriarch within Taiping Mountain.
At this moment, provoking Taiping Mountain would be even more insane than provoking the Tongye Sect and the Jade Gui Sect under normal circumstances.
Du Hanling did not dare.
Moreover, he had only made a small, gilding-the-lily deal with the Duke of Shen's manor and the backer of Gao Shizhen. Killing Chen Ping'an would be best, but not killing him was also fine—it wouldn't hinder the overall plan of their Golden Summit Temple.
However, Gao Shizhen might be jumping up and down cursing.
But what did that matter to the Golden Summit Temple and Du Hanling?
Mortal affairs were trivial; emperors and generals were insignificant.
This Nascent Soul Earth Immortal pondered. Times were chaotic, and some of the Golden Summit Temple's chess pieces had already taken root everywhere. He should also try to advance another step; otherwise, his current realm was still inadequate.
As for whether Gao Shizhen would go mad and pursue the young man, that was none of the Golden Summit Temple's concern, as they had already withdrawn early.
"Patriarch, should I secretly warn Chen Ping'an?"
The young female cultivator asked softly, but quickly negated herself. "That would be gilding the lily. Too much is as bad as too little."
Du Hanling smiled and shook his head. "It's not impossible, but the timing isn't right. Besides, even if we play the good guy, it should be Shao Yuanran, not you."
The female cultivator smiled with her eyes. "The patriarch is wise."
Du Hanling dismissed it with a laugh.
—
Chen Ping'an didn't have to ask; Yao Zhen had already obtained for him a map of the northern Great Springs region, along with two more detailed maps of states and prefectures. Thus, the general route to Tianque Peak was already clear in Chen Ping'an's mind.
The group left the main road and walked along a yellow mud path.
Pei Qian had a yellow paper talisman stuck to her forehead, and she walked with her mountain staff, moving as swift as the wind.
Bored, Pei Qian asked, "Old Wei, after you eat too much, do you let out stinky farts?"
Wei Xian ignored her.
Pei Qian then bothered others. "Little Bai, how come I've never seen you poop? That's not good—holding it all in."
Lu Baixiang was speechless.
Pei Qian ran to Sui Youbian at the back, looked up, and said flatteringly, "Sister Sui, can you fly? I often hear storytellers under the bridge say that immortals can not only walk on walls and leap over roofs but also scatter beans into soldiers and ride clouds. That old man was just scamming for drinks, so I don't believe him. But I believe you, Sister Sui! I've seen someone flying on a sword. You're so beautiful, you can definitely do it too, right? If I could be half as pretty as you when I grow up, I'd be overjoyed."
Sui Youbian just chuckled at this little flatterer.
Finally, Pei Qian returned to Chen Ping'an and remarked inexplicably, "Back in my hometown, I always thought that if I could eat dirt and fill my stomach without dying, that would be the happiest thing in the world."
Chen Ping'an said, "I read in a book that in the north of Tongye Continent, there's a mountain where the kind of clay they call 'Guan Yin clay' can actually be eaten as food."
Pei Qian was shocked. "Clay can really be eaten?! Should we go fetch a basket?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head. "It's out of the way."
Pei Qian's mind was always full of strange ideas. For example, she seriously asked Chen Ping'an if he had ever felt that every house and every tree was like a person.
Her reasoning was that windows were a house's eyes, and the door was its mouth. Leaves were a tree's clothes.
Chen Ping'an countered, "Then why, when it's so cold in winter, do trees wear no clothes, but when it's hot in summer, they wear so many?"
Oh.
Pei Qian scratched her head, thinking that Chen Ping'an, having read more, made more sense.
During this journey, apart from Pei Qian's occasional chatter, Chen Ping'an and the four had almost no verbal communication.
It was hard to believe, but the five people walking now were actually the five "number one under heaven" from the Lotus Flower Blessed Land.
As he walked, Chen Ping'an kept chewing over the refining formula on the jade slip.
That day, as they walked on a bluestone path in the mountains, Zhu Lian asked softly, "Young Master, what do you think?"
Lu Baixiang and the others walked normally, but they had all noticed something unusual.
Chen Ping'an said, "No rush."
On this northward journey, he had deliberately avoided parts of the northern border army's jurisdiction, taking more mountain roads.
But today, someone finally revealed their hand. Whether it was a chance encounter at the border, caution due to the five of them, or a premeditated move targeting Chen Ping'an, it was hard to say yet.
That evening, under a drizzling rain, the mountain road was difficult. In a desolate wilderness with no sign of human habitation, they came across an abandoned, dilapidated temple. Pei Qian was delighted—at least they had a place to shelter from the wind and rain. Her boots and trouser legs were covered in mud. Every time she lifted her foot, it felt like she was lifting several catties. Even with the oilpaper umbrella, the slanting wind and rain still plastered her hair to her forehead, making her very uncomfortable.
Chen Ping'an told Pei Qian to stop. He took out a Yang Qi lamp-lighting talisman, held it between his fingers, and entered the empty temple first. The talisman didn't ignite, so he let Pei Qian come in from outside the temple gate.
As the saying goes, "Sleep in a graveyard, but don't enter a dilapidated temple."
There was a reason for that. Besides the likelihood of bandits and robbers lurking there, abandoned, decaying temples and Daoist monasteries, after the gods had departed, were more likely to attract wandering ghosts and yin spirits. They would gather there, becoming a den of filth and evil, tempting and harming travelers seeking shelter. When traveling with Zhang Shanfeng and Xu Yuanxia in Vase Bottle Continent, they had encountered a little fox spirit. But benevolent mountain and marsh demons like that fox were rare. Most were vicious ghosts and evil spirits who coveted living human bodies and resented the yang aura of passersby.
Inside the dilapidated temple, the altar had collapsed, the clay idol was missing, and cobwebs of various sizes hung from the beams.
Zhu Lian gathered some broken branches, but it wasn't enough to light a fire. He had to go outside to collect and chop some wet wood, spending quite a bit of time before finally getting a fire going.
Once inside, Pei Qian immediately found an excuse to ask Chen Ping'an for a talisman to stick on her forehead, claiming she was timid and needed it to ward off evil.
Nowadays, only after copying five hundred characters of a sage's essay could she borrow a talisman to show off.
Chen Ping'an told her to write five hundred characters on the ground with a small branch. Pei Qian grimaced, saying then she wouldn't stick the talisman, as she was too tired today. Could she skip copying the next time?
Looking at the mud-splattered, pitiable little charcoal girl, Chen Ping'an nodded. Pei Qian felt as if she had received a pardon. She sidled up to Chen Ping'an and asked if she could take a look at the multi-compartment wooden box that Yao Jinzhi had given her.
It was her possession, but it had been kept in Chen Ping'an's bamboo chest.
Chen Ping'an told her to get it herself. Pei Qian carefully took out the exquisitely crafted multi-compartment box and sat beside Chen Ping'an, her back to Wei Xian and the others. She wouldn't let them see the treasures inside.
Her stinginess was probably hard to change.
And Chen Ping'an didn't seem to force her on this matter.
Zhu Lian had teased her earlier by hiding her walking staff—the one no one else could touch—and Pei Qian almost fought him for it.
The multi-compartment box had nine compartments of different sizes.
Besides the delicate wooden carved lingzhi with fine grain and the few unique coins from previous dynasties, there was also a thickly wrapped Daoist token, carved with the image of the Daoist guardian spirit, red-faced, bearded, in golden armor and red robe, with a heavenly eye opened in the middle of his forehead, majestic and vivid. This date-red token was very small; it should have been an item brought back from a Daoist temple by a wealthy family for their younger members to wear, hoping it would protect them from evil.
The rest were mostly delicate and exquisite women's ornaments.
Pei Qian quietly looked up at Chen Ping'an and asked, "Out of all these, which is the most valuable?"
Chen Ping'an leaned back slightly and glanced over the dazzling array of items in the box. "The wooden lingzhi and the guardian spirit token are of decent spiritual artifact rank. A Qi refiner in the lower five realms would be lucky to have either one."
Pei Qian's eyes lit up. "So, how many taels of silver are they worth?"
Chen Ping'an struck her with a knuckle rap. "Someone gives you a gift out of kindness, and all you think about is how much it's worth?"
Pei Qian shrank her neck and said cautiously, "If it were just me, Sister Jinzhi wouldn't have given me so many things."
Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "You know that too? How can you tell?"
Pei Qian pointed at her own eyes and said with a grin, "I see it with my eyes."
Chen Ping'an raised his hand again, scaring Pei Qian into quickly covering her head. The box on her lap almost fell.
Chen Ping'an helped her steady the box but didn't actually hit her.
Pei Qian put the box away again, turned around, and handed it to Chen Ping'an. Lowering her voice, she said, "Sister Jinzhi is really beautiful. I think she has more feminine charm than... someone."
Chen Ping'an didn't comment. He glanced outside the temple; the rain was getting heavier.
Zhu Lian was busy cooking.
Chen Ping'an stood up, picked up a leftover branch from the fire—about the length of a sword—and walked to the temple gate. He stopped, looked up at the curtain of rain.
Almost simultaneously, the four of them turned their heads to look at Chen Ping'an.
Even Sui Youbian, who was sitting cross-legged at the farthest corner, was no exception. She opened her eyes and placed her hands on the ends of her longsword, "Infatuation."
But Chen Ping'an held the branch like a sword, completely still.
After a long while, Sui Youbian closed her eyes. Zhu Lian continued cooking. Wei Xian wandered around the temple, squatting by a wall, holding a broken stone painted with colored lacquer—likely a remnant of the shattered temple idol. Lu Baixiang was flipping through a Go manual, a gift from Yao Jinzhi, which supposedly recorded the "Caiyun Ten Games" between the White Emperor City lord and Great Li Imperial Tutor Cui Chan. Lu Baixiang was deeply engrossed, taking it out whenever he had free time.
While waiting for the rice to cook, Zhu Lian pulled out a shoddily printed erotic novel. Pei Qian bravely tried to sneak a peek, but Zhu Lian pushed her little head away.
Pei Qian glanced at the Go manual in Lu Baixiang's hand but didn't understand it and wasn't interested. She hated Go most—one move each, and you had to think for ages. Too boring. If someone could play three or four moves in a row while the opponent played one, that would be more interesting.
Just as the aroma of rice began to fill the air, Chen Ping'an said softly, "A group of people is heading toward the temple. You all go about your business; don't worry about them. If you're hungry, eat first."
The rain was pouring heavily. A group of people braved the rain, heading toward the temple for shelter.
A dozen or so people, wearing bamboo hats and straw rain capes, all with agile figures and waist knives, their breathing steady and deep.
Having spent so much time with the Yao family, Chen Ping'an recognized them at once as elite soldiers.
The leader was a burly man in his thirties. As he walked, he moved with the stride of a dragon and the step of a tiger, standing out from the rest—a crane among chickens.
The man stopped ten paces outside the temple and asked Chen Ping'an, who was holding a branch, with a smile, "Are you the Young Master Chen who saved General Yao from under a sword cultivator's hands and killed the young Duke Gao Shuyi?"
When Chen Ping'an didn't respond, the man laughed and said, "My name is Liu Cong, a son of the Liu clan of Great Springs. I've been eating sand on the northern border for years. When I heard about those two events, I decided I had to come pay my respects to Young Master Chen. My scouts were following you earlier; I'm sorry for the offense. I apologize here!"
Liu Cong.
The Great Crown Prince of the Great Springs Dynasty.
He held military power over the northern border army and enjoyed great prestige among the Great Springs military, relying not only on his born surname but also on countless border war merits.
Chen Ping'an asked, "Just for that?"
Liu Cong laughed heartily. "Of course not. Young Master Chen might not know much about Mirage City, but Gao Shuyi used to follow me around since he was a child. We've always been close over the years. I can't say I'm heartbroken that you killed him—after all, after I left the capital, he leaned more toward my third brother. But I'm very curious about how high one's martial arts cultivation must be to fight evenly with Li Li, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Stable!"
Chen Ping'an looked around.
Liu Cong extended one hand. "Not much—just five thousand troops. Two thousand elite border infantry on the mountain, and three thousand more at the foot. Young Master Chen, do you think this welcome gift is enough?"
Chen Ping'an found it strange. "Since you have so many troops surrounding us, why would you, a prince, risk yourself? There are only ten paces between us. Even if you're a skilled pure martial artist, is it wise to be so arrogant?"
Liu Cong laughed loudly. "Chen Ping'an, how old are you? Not even twenty, right? Do you know how old I am? Thirty years old. Before being stationed in Mirage City, I tempered my body, and after years of bloody battles on the border, I've only just become a sixth-realm martial artist! If I were to face the 'Shou Gong Huai' of our Great Springs Dynasty, let alone life and death, I wouldn't even dare throw a punch or draw a blade against that old eunuch. Isn't that infuriating?"
Chen Ping'an asked, "So you came here... to die?"
Liu Cong grasped his knife handle with one hand and pointed his thumb behind him with the other, grinning. "All of these are the best elite cultivators accompanying the northern border army. Do you think nothing of them?"
Seeing that the young man with the branch didn't want to talk, Liu Cong's eyes turned playful. "Someone wants the head on your shoulders. Someone wants the items from Biyou Manor. Someone wants the gourd at your waist. Chen Ping'an, do you really think that a deceased Academy gentleman and a Taiping Mountain Patriarch Hall jade token of unknown authenticity will get you safely to Tianque Peak? That you can swagger onto a celestial ferry and leave Tongye Continent?"
Inside the temple, Zhu Lian held a bowl of rice, squatting by the fire. He wolfed down the rice in a few mouthfuls, then stood up.
Wei Xian chewed slowly and spat out, "This guy talks too much. He won't live long."
Lu Baixiang, hand on his knife handle, walked to the temple entrance. Sui Youbian adjusted the sword on her back and followed closely.
Wei Xian handed the half bowl of rice left to Pei Qian, squatting beside him. "Your reward."
Pei Qian took the bowl, poured it into her own, stacked the bowls, and said seriously, "Old Wei, if you croak, I'll definitely find a place to bury you... But can I take the silver on you as payment?"
Wei Xian, holding the armor pellet, said flatly, "The four of us—it's hard for us to die."
He walked straight to Chen Ping'an's side and spoke in a focused voice, telling him something he hadn't wanted to say earlier.
Chen Ping'an heard it clearly. Zhu Lian, with empty hands, Lu Baixiang with his narrow saber, and Sui Youbian with her sword also vaguely caught the content.
Their expressions varied.
Outside, the rain was torrential, and the group couldn't hear clearly.
Zhu Lian's smile turned sinister. "Young Master, after this battle, can you reward me with something good too? I'm the only one of the four without a protective item now."
Chen Ping'an said bluntly, "I don't have anything to give you right now."
Zhu Lian felt a bit regretful. He turned to look at the uninvited guests and clicked his tongue. "Young Master, when I kill later, I won't care about making the fist techniques look elegant like I did in the inn that night."
Sui Youbian stood on the far right, her expression cold. "Young Master, if I break a thousand armored soldiers, can 'Infatuation' be mine from now on?"
Lu Baixiang stood on the far left, smiling. "Master, if I break a thousand, just lend me 'Stopped Snow' for ten years."
Wei Xian was the last to speak. "I'm tired of killing armored elites. All the cultivators are mine."
Chen Ping'an asked, "Then what do I do?"
Pei Qian, inside the temple, was shoveling rice into her mouth. Mumbling indistinctly, she said, "Dad, eat with me!"