Chapter 372: The Sword Immortal Behind
On the fifteenth day of the first month, the Lantern Festival.
In Old Dragon City, every household hung lanterns and decorated with festoons, and the streets and alleys were thronged with tourists. Following custom, the five major surnames each crafted a long dragon of lanterns, carrying it on frames for a parade. If one looked down from the sea of clouds upon this most prosperous city in Bottle Gourd Continent, they would see five fire dragons cruising along fixed routes.
Chen Ping'an let the four from the scroll take Pei Qian out to enjoy the lanterns, while the Zhao surname Yin spirit secretly followed behind to guard against any mishaps.
He and Zheng Dafeng stayed to watch the shop, standing by the counter with a jug of wine, two white porcelain cups as thin as wings, and several small plates of appetizers, drinking and chatting idly.
Zheng Dafeng always had some odd rules. Before drinking, he found willow branches from somewhere and stuck them on the top of the Dust Pharmacy door, and also placed a set of bowls and chopsticks outside the threshold.
Chen Ping'an glanced at the threshold and asked, "Is this to honor gods and Buddhas, or to entertain wandering ghosts passing by?"
Zheng Dafeng laughed, "It's just something the old man passed down. As for the specific meaning, he never explained it. As disciples, we can only follow the gourd pattern and do as told. In this Old Dragon City, there are no demons or ghosts. With so many qi refiners gathered here, the yang energy is too strong. Even if there were a few stray cats or dogs, with Old Zhao here as a Yin spirit, they wouldn't dare come close. As for ghostly yin things, not to mention those mindless fierce ghosts, most of them are more courteous and rule-abiding than us humans."
Chen Ping'an nodded, took a sip of wine—still the osmanthus brew sent over by the Fan family—and suddenly said, "I plan to ask Fan Junmao for help tomorrow, to go up to the sea of clouds and refine my first lifebound object. If it succeeds, I'll leave Old Dragon City and head north. Although the Literary Sage said I can go anywhere from now on with no taboos, I thought it over—since I have no major pressing matters for now, I'll still follow Old Yang's original advice and temporarily not return to Dragon Spring Commandery. I'll probably visit three or four places in Bottle Gourd Continent, and it might take over a year just traveling. After that, it should be about time to go back."
Zheng Dafeng leaned against the counter, looking out at the alley, and asked casually, "Ever thought of establishing your own sect in Dragon Spring Commandery?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head, "Establishing a sect is too troublesome. Just looking at what Master Ruan did gives you an idea—it's hard. Besides, what qualifications do I have to start a sect?"
Zheng Dafeng took a small sip of wine, savoring it with an intoxicated expression, as if just half a cup of osmanthus brew had gotten him drunk on several jars of fine liquor. He chuckled softly, "If you could take back those large mountains west of Dragon Spring Commandery, having over ten continuous peaks, there would be enough spiritual foundation to create a cultivating sect. But getting those powers to spit out the meat they've already swallowed isn't easy. Back then, the Great Li only gave such low prices to win over those mountain immortals and powerful clans. If it weren't for your connection to Ruan Qiong, you probably couldn't have bought even a single Pearl Mountain, let alone Fallen Mountain."
Chen Ping'an deeply agreed.
Although Pearl Grotto-Heaven is not famous for its abundant spiritual energy, that's compared to the other thirty-five small grotto-heavens. For an ordinary Golden Core, Nascent Soul, or Earth Immortal, being able to own a single Fallen Mountain alone, build a thatched hut for cultivation, and open up a residence, would be a dream come true.
Chen Ping'an said it was hard to establish a sect, but deep down, he truly hoped he could one day achieve it. Just like when he chatted with Lu Tai at Eagle Castle, he had already imagined what people and events would be on his own mountain. Otherwise, why would he want to ask that old Heavenly Lord of Taiping Mountain about how much immortal money a mountain-protecting formation would cost? When he heard Zhong Kui talk about the Heavenly Lord sitting at Taiping Mountain, manifesting his golden Dharma form, holding the Moon Mirror, and riding three swords to chase the sword-carrying white ape across millions of miles, how could Chen Ping'an not yearn for it?
That old outsider who had become familiar with Dust Pharmacy suddenly appeared, stepping over the threshold with a grin, and came straight to the point, "Chen Ping'an, looks like you're about to leave Old Dragon City soon? I want to discuss something with you."
Chen Ping'an stood up straight, put down his cup and chopsticks, and said with a smile, "Please, Elder, go ahead."
The old man gestured for Chen Ping'an to keep drinking and eating, walked to the counter, directly grabbed a few fried peanuts with his fingers, and put them in his mouth. He thought for a moment and said, "It might be a bit of an imposition, and somewhat offensive, but fate is like duckweed—gathering and scattering unpredictably. If I miss it today, I might miss it for life. Whether I shrink or stretch, it's still one strike. So I'll just say it directly. After I say it, Little Brother Chen and Brother Dafeng, don't make it so that this old man can't even eat your peanuts and lotus root slices anymore, and instead gets a face full of closed doors every day..."
Zheng Dafeng said impatiently, "We're all straightforward people here. Can you just spit it out quickly?"
The old man lifted his head, threw a slice of lotus root into his mouth, and chewed, "Although Sui Youbian is already a minor grandmaster of pure martial artists and has entered the Golden Body Realm, which is extremely difficult, in my opinion, the bottleneck is too great, and reaching the top-tier is extremely hard. At most, she'll reach the Far Travel Realm. With luck, that's it for eight realms martial artists."
Zheng Dafeng immediately refuted, "Eight realms martial artists 'just that'? Old man, go shout that in the street and see what those Earth Immortal cultivators in Old Dragon City think. Won't they slap your mouth shut out of anger?"
The old man had a very good temper and didn't mind Zheng Dafeng's rudeness. He laughed, "Isn't this an exception? Sui Youbian shouldn't have taken the dead-end path of martial arts from the start..."
Zheng Dafeng slammed the table, "What did you say?!"
The old man quickly bent down, took Chen Ping'an's cup, and filled it with osmanthus brew. He raised the cup to Zheng Dafeng, "Wrong words. I'll fine myself three cups, three cups!"
He downed it in one go and was about to pour a second.
Chen Ping'an smiled and covered the mouth of the jug with his hand, "One cup of penalty is enough, Elder. We're so familiar, no need to be so polite."
The old man resignedly put down the cup, wiped his mouth, and said regretfully, "This wine is good, but the flavor is a bit light. One or two cups won't bring out the taste."
Zheng Dafeng picked up a piece of scallion-mixed tofu with his chopsticks, "Brother Xun, if you have something to say, spit it out!"
The old man surnamed Xun continued, "Sui Youbian is an extremely rare natural sword embryo, possessing the aptitude of a sword immortal. That's not all; her sword heart is pure and clear. The possibility of her breaking through the upper five realms bottleneck as a Nascent Soul sword cultivator later is relatively high. I don't mind laying down a word at this table: if Little Brother Chen is willing to part with her and allow Sui Youbian to join our sect, within a hundred years—at most two jiazi—I guarantee that Sui Youbian will become a highly formidable Nascent Soul sword cultivator. And I'll further guarantee that within another hundred years, she will definitely become a Jade Pu realm cultivator."
Chen Ping'an smiled without speaking, handed over the chopsticks, and poured another cup of wine for the old man.
Zheng Dafeng sneered, "Brother Xun, are you a toad trying to swallow the moon? Aren't you afraid of choking yourself? Even if we take a step back, Sui Youbian is already a Golden Body Realm martial artist. You yourself said it's not hard for her to become a Far Travel Realm martial artist; it just takes time to polish her physique. Yet you want her to abandon the eight realms martial artist that's already in the bag, scatter all her pure true qi, and then spend a hundred or two hundred years pursuing the illusory upper five realms sword immortal?"
The old man cried out in grievance, "Didn't I say it earlier? It is a bit of an imposition, but with Sui Youbian's outstanding talent and qualifications, if she doesn't switch to the sword path, and I see it without saying anything, it would be unbearable. Such a waste of heaven's gifts, I can't tolerate it! Think about it, such a pretty little girl like Sui Youbian, even if she becomes a Far Travel Realm martial artist in the future, she'd still be fighting with fists and feet, punching and kicking. How dreadfully boring is that? Compared to a graceful female sword immortal, in white robes, flying a sword to kill enemies a thousand miles away—how much more elegant is that?"
Zheng Dafeng scoffed, "Easier said than done. The higher the realm of a pure martial artist, the more dangerous it is to scatter qi. Especially the three realms of divine refining, which involve the primordial spirit and soul. One mistake, and Sui Youbian might not even be able to preserve her natural sword embryo aptitude as a sword immortal, maybe even lose half her life. Xun, do you think you're a Flying Ascension realm grandmaster, or at least a guaranteed Immortal realm cultivator? And why would Chen Ping'an just hand over a beauty like Sui Youbian, who's half a personal maid, to a lazy old lecher like you?!"
The old man said seriously, "Our style is elegance, not vulgarity, a matter not to be explained to outsiders. Brother Dafeng, you can insult me, but don't belittle yourself along with me."
Zheng Dafeng gave the old man a thumbs-up and picked up a dish with his chopsticks, "Brother, those words were candid. I can't find a single flaw."
The old man raised his cup and drank a large gulp, then stroked his beard and laughed, "I knew it, Brother Dafeng, you are a true gentleman of our kind. At critical moments, you speak firmly, with reason and righteousness!"
Chen Ping'an took a peanut and chewed it slowly.
The old man didn't dare to rush him.
Whether this matter succeeded or not depended solely on the young man's decision.
After thinking it over, Chen Ping'an said, "I can only say I'll ask Sui Youbian herself what she thinks."
Now it was the old man's turn to be taken aback, "Chen Ping'an, you're actually agreeing?"
Realizing he had misspoken, the old man smiled sheepishly.
Anyone in the world would know the value and weight of an eight-realm Far Travel Realm martial artist.
Among the top-tier major dynasties of Bottle Gourd Continent, such a figure would already be a transcendent existence related to the martial fate of an entire country.
The old man was full of curiosity and surprise, but he held his tongue. Too many words could lead to mistakes, and he didn't want to ruin a good karmic connection by adding unnecessary embellishments.
When the old man left the alley, Zheng Dafeng said he wanted to get some air and accompanied him out.
At the old locust tree outside the alley on the main street, the Lantern Festival's splendor didn't discriminate between rich and poor. The lights were brilliant, bright as day.
The old man and Zheng Dafeng stood under the tree. The old man asked, "Why didn't Chen Ping'an ask about my true identity or, more importantly, the compensation?"
Zheng Dafeng thought for a moment, "Probably he'll only ask after Sui Youbian agrees."
The old man laughed self-deprecatingly, "That shows that you and I still have some money stench about us. Chen Ping'an is the one who knows how to do things properly."
Zheng Dafeng bent over, looking at the bustling, lively street, and said calmly, "Proper people tend to suffer losses."
The old man also restrained his expression, his eyes deep and quiet, "To hell with suffering being a blessing."
After a moment of silence, the old man surnamed Xun asked, "Brother Dafeng, where will you go from here?"
Zheng Dafeng said, "I'm a cripple now. I just want to go back to my old job, as a gatekeeper."
The old man asked, "How about coming to my mountain? I can't promise you an immortal's life, but there's no lack of wine, meat, and beautiful women. I believe you know my temperament. I'll find time to chat and shoot the breeze with you."
Zheng Dafeng shook his head, "I don't want to owe you that favor, and I don't have the spirit to strut around on your mountain pretending to be a big shot anymore."
The old man patted Zheng Dafeng's shoulder, "Cheer up. There's no hurdle in life you can't get over."
Zheng Dafeng laughed angrily, "An upper five realms qi refiner who lives off handouts, shameless, and you tell a cripple like me to cheer up? Do you even have the face for that?"
The old man said with emotion, "I didn't expect that even with my deep concealment, Brother Dafeng could still see through my upper five realms immortal demeanor at a glance. It seems that the saying about women's natural beauty being hard to hide applies to me too."
Zheng Dafeng turned to look at this earnest old man, "With your years of cultivation in the sect, didn't people often want to spar with you?"
The old man shook his head, "Never happened. When I was young, I relied on my handsome looks and was very popular among the senior and junior female disciples. Whenever there was trouble, they'd fight to help me settle it. After middle age, I woke up, always felt it wasn't good to be immersed in the flower gardens, so I picked up cultivation again. My path advanced by leaps and bounds, and the sect elders greatly treasured and cared for me. In my old age, I've become highly respected."
Zheng Dafeng patted the old man's shoulder, "It's a good thing Brother Xun didn't grow up in our hometown, or else many people would have taught you a lesson."
The old man smiled, not commenting. He muttered to himself, "If someone respects me a foot, I'll respect them ten. If Sui Youbian is truly willing to join our sect, I'll have to think carefully about what kind of ancestral hall initiation gift to give her, and how to repay Chen Ping'an for being so generous as to let her go."
Zheng Dafeng joked, "If you have the ability, give Sui Youbian an immortal weapon."
The old man chuckled, "That won't do. At the very least, before Sui Youbian reaches the Jade Pu realm sword cultivator stage, I'm definitely not taking out my coffin savings to give her that. Also, I'll need her to agree to protect the sect for at least three hundred years before I'd be willing."
Zheng Dafeng turned to look at him, and the old man met his gaze, saying with complete confidence, "What, is bragging a crime?"
Pei Qian and the others returned to the pharmacy very late. Chen Ping'an had been waiting at the door, and he called Sui Youbian over to talk.
The two walked slowly down the alley.
Chen Ping'an told Sui Youbian everything about the old man wanting her to go cultivate at his mountain sect.
Sui Youbian showed no expression and asked in return whether Chen Ping'an knew anything about the man's background—his name, his cultivation level, where his sect was.
Chen Ping'an said that he needed to ask for Sui Youbian's opinion first before he could discuss, infer, and confirm those details. Once he had an answer, he would even send a flying sword message to Taiping Mountain, requesting the old Heavenly Lord himself to help verify. Only when everything was foolproof would he let Sui Youbian make her final decision.
Sui Youbian remained silent all the way. Chen Ping'an had no choice but to accompany her as they walked out of the alley and onto the main street, where the pedestrians had thinned and it had returned to quiet loneliness.
In the ruined temple battle, Sui Youbian had died twice. Outside Old Dragon City, she had exchanged lives with a Golden Core cultivator. After three such deaths, her martial path would stop at the eighth Far Travel Realm.
Sui Youbian suddenly stopped and asked, "Do you very much hope that I take up that man's offer, so that you can at least gain a magic treasure or two and form an incense-karma relationship with his sect?"
Chen Ping'an chuckled, shaking his head, "If there were absolutely no other way, of course I'd rather you stay by my side, hoping I could personally help you smoothly scatter your pure qi, safely convert to the sword path, and become a qi refiner, allowing your path to go higher and farther. But you should understand, I'm only a fifth realm martial artist now, the reconstruction of the Bridge of Longevity has just begun. Compared to those centuries-old immortal clans like the Zong clan, my current foundation is not nearly enough. And on the path of cultivation, one step slow means every step slow."
Sui Youbian asked again, "If I choose to leave, what will you do with that scroll painting that concerns my life and freedom?"
Chen Ping'an said without hesitation, "Of course I'll hide it well. In the Dao of cultivation, people's hearts are unpredictable. If it's kept by me, at least I won't harm you or use it to blackmail you—no matter whether you believe me or not, that's how I think. But if I hand it to someone else, I wouldn't be at ease. Even if that old man genuinely intends to accept you as his direct disciple and let you into his sect's ancestral hall, how can I guarantee that others won't harbor ill intent toward you, won't wish to use this to control you, won't force you into dangerous situations at critical moments? When one is in a high position, they cannot always act as they wish. But I'm different from Chen Ping'an. It's not that I'm kinder than that old man or treat you better, but at least I won't treat you as cargo. No matter how high a price someone offers, I won't trade you away."
Sui Youbian stared hard at Chen Ping'an.
Chen Ping'an met her gaze honestly, "That's my true feeling."
Sui Youbian neither agreed nor refused but instead abruptly changed the subject, asking an unrelated question, "That female Taoist from Taiping Mountain is really beautiful, and she's also a Nascent Soul sword cultivator."
Chen Ping'an asked curiously, "And then?"
Sui Youbian asked, "Didn't you feel the slightest temptation?"
Chen Ping'an rolled his eyes, put his hands behind his head, and walked leisurely, "There are many beautiful women in the world. If they're nice to look at, I glance at them an extra time or two—it's a pleasure to the eyes, human nature. But why would I feel tempted?"
Sui Youbian unexpectedly laughed, "As a man, you don't even have the thought of holding one on each arm? Chen Ping'an, are you sick?"
Chen Ping'an kept his hands behind his head, turned his neck, and said lazily, "Don't curse at me."
They walked back to Dust Pharmacy in silence. Pei Qian, not yet sleepy, stood at the pharmacy door holding her walking staff, claiming she wanted to show Chen Ping'an a couple of moves, swearing that Old Wei and Xiao Bai had said her sword techniques and blade techniques had already reached the divine level.
About Huang Ting's teachings to Pei Qian of the White Ape Back-Carrying Sword Technique and the Drag-Blade Style, the four from the scroll tacitly pretended not to know about them, and certainly wouldn't try to steal the teachings, nor privately coax Pei Qian into revealing the formulas. One reason was to uphold the code of the Martial Arts Society; another was that the sly little girl Pei Qian would verbally agree, but then immediately turn around and sell them out to Chen Ping'an. And Chen Ping'an would probably not be easygoing about such matters.
The four, including Sui Youbian and Zhu Lian, did not dare test Chen Ping'an's bottom line on this.
So Sui Youbian entered the pharmacy and went to the back courtyard's side room to practice the Sword Furnace Stance, which Chen Ping'an had tacitly allowed.
In the alley, Chen Ping'an stood at the threshold and said with a smile, "Give it a try."
Pei Qian nodded seriously, let out a soft shout, took a step, and with both hands holding the walking staff, performed the White Ape Drag-Blade Style, swinging it out.
But she didn't control the force well. The walking staff flew straight out of her hands. Chen Ping'an touched it with his toe, then reached out and caught the bamboo staff just before it smashed into the alley wall, saving it from destruction.
Pei Qian was dumbfounded. Oh no, she was definitely going to get a rap on the head for this.
To her surprise, Chen Ping'an merely handed the walking staff back to her and said with a smile, "The momentum is pretty good. But from now on, you need to practice the six-step stance with me earnestly. No matter how good the sword or blade techniques, if your physique can't support them, they'll just be a mess and only make you look foolish."
Pei Qian stamped her foot in frustration, sighing mournfully. If only she hadn't shown off her divine skills! Did that mean she now had to walk properly following the boxing framework every day? Wasn't that just asking for trouble?
Chen Ping'an patted her little head, "Eat bitterness when you're young."
Pei Qian looked up, her face full of hope, "And when I grow up, can I enjoy happiness every day? Lie around and collect money? No more copying books, drink whenever I want, eat whatever I want?"
Chen Ping'an led her back into the shop, closed the door, and laughed, "When you grow up, you'll find out naturally."
Pei Qian drooped her head, "I don't really want to grow up. That female Taoist said I'm not pretty. I'm afraid when I grow up, I won't be good-looking either. Being a young ugly girl is still better than being an ugly young woman. While watching the lanterns today, Zhu Lian suddenly said that in a few years I could stand at the door for you every day, that even ghosts wouldn't dare come near, better than a painted door god. I was happy at first, but then I felt something was off, so I secretly asked Old Wei. That Old Wei is also a bad seed, he tricked me, saying maybe it's because I practiced supreme sword techniques, my sword energy is too heavy, so dirty things are afraid of me. Later, Sui Youbian was the kindest—she told me the truth. It turns out Zhu Lian was being roundabout, saying that when I grow up, I'll not only be scary to look at, but even scare ghosts. Zhu Lian is too mean. And here I always eat an extra half bowl of rice for his cooking! His dishes are the most popular at the table, and I'm his biggest fan. Zhu Lian has no conscience."
Chen Ping'an's eyes held some amusement. He deliberately teased the little girl with her stock phrase, "Worries, worries."
Pei Qian beamed with joy. With a child's heart, all her sorrows fled in an instant.
She went back to the side room, closed the door, and sat across from Sui Youbian, cupping her chin in both hands, staring at Sui Youbian who was practicing the Sword Furnace Stance, and whispered, "Sui-jie, how do you get to be so pretty? Teach me?"
Sui Youbian opened her eyes, as if in a good mood today, suppressing a smile. She deliberately put on a stern face and said solemnly, "Reading and learning characters, copying books and practicing calligraphy, the six-step stance, the Sword Furnace Stance, sword and blade techniques, wiping tables and sweeping floors, serving tea and water—you have to be serious in all of these."
Pei Qian tilted her head slightly, grinned, and said, "Sui-jie, you really like telling jokes."
Sui Youbian nodded, imitating the female Taoist Huang Ting's tone, and clicked her tongue, "Tsk tsk, such a clever child, how come she's not so pretty?"
Pei Qian turned around gloomily, leaned against the edge of the table, rested her head on the surface, and took out her most precious yellow paper talisman, sticking it on her forehead. She whispered, "Sui-jie, do you like my dad?"
Sui Youbian was speechless.
Pei Qian obviously didn't care about the answer either, muttering to herself, "We saw so many beautiful lanterns earlier, all very pretty. But do you remember that lantern event next to the Phoenix Immortal Restaurant? The ones with deep-frying in oil, pulling out tongues, flaying and drawing sinews—they weren't hellish jailers or torture devices from the underworld? Old Wei said it might be a lantern event set up by the prison authorities to target people who do bad things. It scared me to death. You don't know, but when I suddenly realized my dad wasn't by my side, I almost cried."
Sui Youbian had already closed her eyes again, continuing to practice the Sword Furnace Stance, widening the meridians and nurturing her physique.
Pei Qian carefully straightened the yellow talisman on her forehead and murmured, "Talisman protects Pei Qian, demons and ghosts go away."
That night, the Zhao surname Yin spirit found Chen Ping'an, who was sleeping on the floor, and told him that the old gentleman had sent a message again: the Tongye Sect had officially offered compensation.
That Golden Core of a twelfth realm great demon had been refined by Du Mao—who had gone mad for the sake of ascending—within the Wutong Small Grotto-Heaven. So they were exchanging it with two fragments of colorful glass, one small as a thumb, the other as big as a fist.
After the soul of a twelfth realm great cultivator decays or after a direct dissolution, there might appear an immortal's discarded corpse. And it is said that after a legendary Flying Ascension realm great cultivator fails, some golden body fragments like colorful glass may appear.
This was the only thing that slightly lessened the Tongye Sect's rage after Du Mao destroyed the Wutong Grotto-Heaven without caring about the sect disciples' lives. Knowing he would fail his ascension, in the last moment, Du Mao controlled the glass fragments that scattered from the upper half of his body. Three returned to the Tongye Sect's ancestor mountain. The Tongye ancestral hall kept only one piece and handed out the other two.
After relaying this top-priority matter, the Zhao Yin spirit cautiously handed Chen Ping'an a palm-sized, yellowed sycamore leaf, saying this was a Dimension Object the Tongye Sect provided along with it. The glass fragments from the failed Flying Ascension cultivator's death and dao dissolution were placed inside. In addition, the old gentleman had specially prepared two sets of mountain-protecting formations for Chen Ping'an: one was an imitation of Taiping Mountain's attack sword formation, the other an imitation of the Fuzi Sect's mountain-protecting formation. Also included was the immortal money needed to hire a Moist Clan expert to set up the formations, all paid by the Tongye Sect in Guyu coins, all placed within that sycamore leaf.
However, the central artifacts for the two formations—such as flying swords and golden body puppets—would still need Chen Ping'an to find himself. Whether he could buy them with wealth later or pick up bargains by luck depended on fate.
The Yin spirit concluded, "You must carry the sycamore leaf on your person at all times. But the old gentleman also said it's best to wait until you return to your hometown town before opening it to inspect the various items. If you open the Dimension Object, it's like briefly opening the door of a small grotto-heaven, which can easily leak the heavenly secrets inside. After all, the glass fragments of a Flying Ascension cultivator are too rare. Any upper five realms cultivator would covet them. The old gentleman also told me to relay that the dharma robe Jinli, which eats money all the way to the half-immortal weapon rank, won't be a loss."
Chen Ping'an carefully put away the sycamore leaf.
After the Zhao Yin spirit finished speaking, its form dissipated.
It had also gained a lot from helping the old gentleman twice.
Chen Ping'an lay back down on the floor, touched the white jade hairpin on his head, and closed his eyes to sleep.
Early the next morning, just as the sky was barely light, Fan Junmao arrived as agreed and took Chen Ping'an to the sea of clouds above Old Dragon City.
The old man surnamed Xun was already waiting at the pharmacy door like a rabbit waiting for a stump. Before Chen Ping'an could say anything, Sui Youbian lifted the curtain and chatted with the old man outside the door for a few words.
Sui Youbian returned to the back courtyard.
The old man stroked his beard and smiled. Although it wasn't the best result, it was still quite good. Waiting a few more years, and the Yugui Sect would gain a Nascent Soul sword cultivator with the potential for the upper five realms within a hundred years.
Hmm, he would personally take her to the Tongye Sect to visit and see if they could "do their small part in rebuilding the brother sect's ancestral hall."
People of cultivation should be kind.
The rising sun shone, its rays spreading in all directions. At the top of the sea of clouds, the view was breathtaking.
At that moment, heaven and earth worked together in harmony.
For this refining of the Water Seal as his first lifebound object, Chen Ping'an took a full ten days and encountered no major problems.
On the inner wall of Chen Ping'an's innate alchemical chamber, a mural appeared: a river like a white silk sash, with mist rising, flowing gently.
At the moment of success, the Jinli dharma robe on his body became noticeably lighter.
Even as Chen Ping'an loosened his control and released the Jinli's restrictions, allowing the spiritual energy of the sea of clouds to pour into his acupoints and flow freely into a lake within one acupoint, the atmosphere was fresh and misty.
It was only at this moment that the strand of pure martial true qi that had been continuously encroached upon finally broke free from its bonds, as if pardoned, racing madly through the small world of his body.
After Chen Ping'an guided it a bit, the true qi inside his body and that lake, along with the several spiritual energy streams flowing into it, largely achieved mutual non-aggression.
Like the civil and military officials in a kingdom's court—not exactly complementing each other, not exactly at war, just getting along peacefully.
In the dead of night, Chen Ping'an and Fan Junmao returned to Dust Pharmacy without a sound.
The four from the scroll opened their eyes, then closed them again, drifting slowly to sleep.
The black smoke of the Zhao Yin spirit gradually sank into the wall.
Zheng Dafeng and Pei Qian each slept soundly.
Chen Ping'an sat on a long bench, took a sip of the minor alchemical pill liquor.
Fan Junmao stood nearby and asked, "If it were you, Chen Ping'an, would you trade this sea of clouds you've accompanied for countless years for the position of the Southern Peak god of Bottle Gourd Continent?"
Chen Ping'an answered honestly, "I don't know."
Fan Junmao, in a foul mood, snapped, "Then what do you know?!"
Chen Ping'an smiled, "I know that I don't know."
Fan Junmao tossed a long sword, which he had placed in his Dimension Armory long ago, to Chen Ping'an. With a dark expression, he vanished in a flash.
That morning, Chen Ping'an and his group left Dust Pharmacy and went to the immortal ferry on the west side of Old Dragon City. They boarded a ferryboat and set off for the Blue Luan Country, located in the southeastern part of Bottle Gourd Continent.
Fan Er accompanied them to the ferry, urging Chen Ping'an not to forget the porcelain and flower wine next time they met.
Zheng Dafeng, alone, guarded the empty pharmacy. He looked for a while at the fortune character posted on the wall—it was indeed written much better than the Spring character.
In the main hall, he walked around the table that was often filled with Zhu Lian's dishes, circling it once. Finally, he sat down on the threshold, looking up at the long bench opposite, under the eaves.
That bench under the eaves—the young man had sat there most often. Pei Qian would occasionally go and sit there a few times.
Over time, it seemed to have become his little territory.
Zheng Dafeng took a puff from his pipe.
He scratched his head—well, this time going back in disgrace, he'd definitely get chewed out by the old man.
On the ferry, Chen Ping'an again carried a long sword on his back.
The name of the sword was very interesting.
Sword Immortal.