Chapter 390: The Grand Household, the Dharma Blade Daoist
On the official highway, there were many luxurious carriages and fine horses, or some strangely dressed eccentric people. Aside from the oblivious Pei Qian, who could only tell that they were wealthy, the eyesight of Chen Ping’an and the others was far sharper than that incense bearer’s. Nowadays, there were truly many qi refiners traveling through the Qingluan Kingdom and wading through the murky waters.
Pei Qian was probably still heartbroken over the snowflake coins spent on the incense and the calligraphy inscription. She was listless and dispirited, and it could also be that she felt guilty because her own handwriting was the worst.
Zhu Lian hadn’t taunted Pei Qian much this time.
So the journey along this stretch was relatively quiet, which instead made Shi Rou somewhat uncomfortable.
According to the normal route, they wouldn’t have passed through that lion garden where the fox spirit was causing trouble. At the fork in the road that could lead to the Lion Garden, Chen Ping’an didn’t hesitate at all and chose to head straight for the capital. This made Shi Rou feel relieved; if she had ended up with a capricious master who insisted on righting every wrong in the world, she would have cried to death.
As the private residence of Old Secretary Liu, the Lion Garden was a famous garden southwest of the capital. The Liu family was a scholarly clan that had produced officials for generations. The Lion Garden had been continuously expanded and built upon by successive generations of the Liu family; it wasn’t something accomplished overnight by Old Secretary Liu’s generation when he rose to prominence. Therefore, in terms of integrity, there was actually nothing about the Liu family that could be criticized.
Once, some busybody had specially collected poems and essays about the scenery of the Lion Garden written by literati from various dynasties, compiled them into a book, and printed it with fine engraving. It was said that the book sold quite well in bookstores everywhere.
But just after they had traveled more than twenty li, that incense bearer from the River God Temple actually caught up to them, delivering two items. He said it was on the priest’s orders: one was an exquisitely carved bamboo incense tube, which judging by its size contained quite a lot of water incense; the other was that collection of writings about the Lion Garden.
Chen Ping’an did not immediately accept the gifts from the River God Temple. He rubbed the sword-nurturing gourd hanging at his waist with one hand.
The man spoke bluntly, his eyes sincere, “I know this is forcing a difficult hand, but to be honest, if it were possible, I still hope that Young Master Chen could help the Lion Garden once. Firstly, that fox spirit doesn’t harm people. Seven or eight groups of various immortals have come down to subdue the demon, and without exception, none of them lost their lives. Moreover, if Young Master Chen is unwilling to act, it would be good enough to just go to the Lion Garden to enjoy the scenery. Then you can assess the situation and decide whether to take action based on your mood.”
Zhu Lian sneered, “What, are you trying to pressure my young master with morality?”
The man smiled wryly, “How would I dare to go that far? I’m even less willing to act that way. It’s just that after meeting Young Master Chen and remembering that Liu family scholar, I always felt that the two of you are similar in temperament. Even though you’re merely chance acquaintances, you could still hit it off. I heard that this concubine-born son of the Liu family, for the sake of a line in a book—‘Where demons and monsters haunt, there must be a celestial master’s peachwood sword’—specifically traveled far and wide to seek out so-called roving immortal masters from Dragon Tiger Mountain. But he encountered disaster when he reached the Qingshan Kingdom side. When he returned, his leg was already crippled, thus cutting off his official career.”
Chen Ping’an suddenly took the incense tube and book from the man’s hands, nodding, “I can only say I’ll go take a look; I can’t guarantee I’ll take action.”
The man clasped his fists and smiled, “That would be best!”
This incense bearer turned around and headed back to the River God Temple, not offering to lead Chen Ping’an to the Lion Garden.
Zhu Lian jeered, “A merchant scratching out a meager profit, instead of working hard to earn money, he has to learn the chivalrous heart of a knight-errant. Really neglecting his proper business.”
Chen Ping’an smiled, “A chivalrous heart doesn’t discriminate between people.”
Shi Rou’s expression was blank, but in her heart, she hated that River God Temple to death.
The group needed to backtrack more than a li, then take a fork off the official highway to head toward the Lion Garden.
Pei Qian asked softly, “Master, when we get to the Lion Garden, can I stick a talisman on my forehead?”
Chen Ping’an nodded and reminded her, “Of course you can, but remember to stick the Lamp-Lighting Talisman, not the Pagoda-Suppressing Demon Talisman. Otherwise, I’m afraid even if Master doesn’t want to act, he’ll have to.”
Pei Qian agreed loudly.
Chen Ping’an suddenly asked, “Since you’re so scared, why didn’t you stop Master from going to the Lion Garden?”
Pei Qian was stunned for a moment, then beamed, “Adults’ business, kids don’t get a say, you know.”
Chen Ping’an laughed heartily and patted her little head.
Zhu Lian clicked his tongue, “Not bad, Lady Pei! Your flattery skills are unmatched in the world.”
Pei Qian snorted, “Stay near ink and you get stained black. I learned it from you. Master certainly doesn’t teach me this!”
Zhu Lian grinned, “Well then, you’ve already surpassed the master.”
Pei Qian clasped her fists in a worldly manner, returning the compliment, “I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. Compared to Senior Zhu’s divine flattery skills, this junior still has a long way to go.”
Zhu Lian clasped his fists in return, “Not at all, not at all. The younger generation is formidable.”
With this odd pair of an old man and a little girl bantering, the trip to the Lion Garden was leisurely and carefree.
As they neared the Lion Garden, which lay in a mountain hollow, if one didn’t count the narrow stream and the muddy path, it could already be said to be surrounded by mountains on all sides.
Chen Ping’an sighed, “I should have borrowed a Peace and Safety Token from Cui Dongshan.”
Zhu Lian asked doubtfully, “Aren’t the Great Li iron cavalry only stationed in the central part of Bottle Gourd Continent now? And with the Guanhu Academy confronting them, whether they can successfully move south hasn’t been decided yet. Otherwise, the Great Li Song family wouldn’t have gone to such trouble at Old Dragon City, needing to mobilize Du Mao of the Parasol Leaf Sect. That’s a move that invites the wolf into the house, easily provoking public outrage across Bottle Gourd Continent. In the history of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, there were countless cases of vassal separatist forces that lost the very foundation of their state for such short-term gains.”
Chen Ping’an explained, “It’s actually not quite the same as the history of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land. The Great Li’s scheme for a whole continent is much more steady, which is why they now have such a grand and far-sighted situation... Let me tell you something, and you’ll roughly understand how deep the Great Li’s layout goes. You know that after Cui Dongshan left the Baihuayuan Inn, someone else came to visit, right?”
Zhu Lian nodded, “Those were probably confidential matters, so this old servant stayed in his own room.”
Chen Ping’an patted Pei Qian’s head and smiled, “First, tell Zhu Lian about the origin and history of the Peace and Safety Token.”
After learning about the function of the Peace and Safety Token, Pei Qian was determined to get one. She thought she needed to save up money quickly and buy one for herself.
The earliest Peace and Safety Tokens were military tallies from the two martial ancestors of Bottle Gourd Continent, the True Martial Mountain and the Snow Wind Temple, used to protect martial lineage disciples who descended their mountains for training. When True Martial Mountain cultivators went down to join the army, the Great Li dynasty was naturally their first choice. Additionally, Snow Wind Temple’s martial sage, Ruan Qiong, had entered the Lizhu Cave Heaven to serve as the sitting sage, later establishing his own lineage directly in Dragon Spring County. This was definitely not a decision made overnight; it meant that the Great Li Song family had been colluding with Snow Wind Temple for a very long time.
Gradually, through one thing and another, this Peace and Safety Token became the foremost life-saving talisman for qi refiners across the entire Great Li dynasty. Back then, the Mohist chivalrous hero Xu Ruo—the man who could easily block a sword strike from Snow Wind Temple’s sword immortal, Wei Jin—had given a jade token each to the green-clad boy and the pink-skirted girl beside Chen Ping’an. At the time, Chen Ping’an only thought they were rare and precious, a great gift. But looking back now, he still underestimated how generous Xu Ruo had been.
After hearing Pei Qian’s explanation about the root of the Safety Token, Zhu Lian smiled, “Now the young master can add the finishing touch.”
Chen Ping’an only used the martial artist’s technique of concentrating sound into a thread to secretly say one sentence to Zhu Lian, “That fellow who came to the inn to find me is a Great Li spy, holding a second-rank high-grade Peace and Safety Token from the Great Li dynasty.”
Zhu Lian understood instantly, “Got it.”
Although the Qingluan Kingdom was prosperous and its national strength was not weak—stronger than kingdoms like Qingshan and Yunxiao—when placed within the entire Bottle Gourd Continent, it was still a tiny place. Compared to those great dynasties, it could even be called a small state.
So this meant that not only had the Great Li dynasty long set its sights on Qingluan Kingdom, but it also regarded it as an extremely important battleground in strategic calculations.
Then those waves of grand clans and noble families displaced by the war in central Bottle Gourd Continent—the scholars moving south, the nobles crossing southward—were merely the Great Li’s long-planned strategy of luring them into a trap.
This Qingluan Kingdom was no haven of refuge at all.
Zhu Lian exclaimed in admiration, “Driving fish into a net with the momentum of half a continent, catching them all in one sweep, waiting for the harvest. The Great Li’s Embroidered Tiger truly has excellent methods. No wonder the proud Lu Baixiang only yearns for this master of the Colorful Cloud Score.”
Chen Ping’an smiled.
Earlier, the Great Li national master—strictly speaking, half of the Embroidered Tiger—had been close at hand but also far away. However, among the four in the scroll, only Wei Xian, whose confrontation in their game had been the most dangerous, had taken the opportunity to recognize his identity.
Amidst towering green mountains and murmuring clear waters, the view suddenly opened up.
The Lion Garden, with its white walls, black tiles, and upturned eaves, sat in the broad mountain hollow.
Like an orchid in the wild mountains, like a fragrant beauty.
Zhu Lian laughed heartily, “The scenery is exquisite! Even if I only take this painting into my eyes and store it in my heart, this journey is already worthwhile.”
Zhu Lian always had some strange viewpoints. For example, when he saw a beautiful woman or a beautiful scene, taking it into his sight was equivalent to taking it into his sleeve; it became something cherished in his heart, and even more, something in his own pouch.
Chen Ping’an always felt there was something off about that, but he also thought it was actually quite good.
Chen Ping’an had never treated the four people in the scroll as puppets. This was partly due to his own nature, and also because each of the four in the scroll had their own unique qualities, not allowing Chen Ping’an to regard them as lifeless objects in a painting.
Earlier, the road only allowed one carriage to pass. On the way here, Chen Ping’an was very curious: if two carriages met on this three- or four-li path through the landscape, what would happen? Who would yield? Who would advance?
There was a towering ancient tree perched by the stream, with jagged white cliffs beside it.
Nearby stood a small rest pavilion, from which walked an elegant old man with a steward’s demeanor, accompanied by a beanpole girl in simple, elegant clothes of spearmint color.
The two hurried toward Chen Ping’an and his group. The old man asked with a smile, “Gentlemen, are you immortals who have traveled here out of admiration?”
Chen Ping’an felt a bit awkward.
But the old man was the first to help him out of the predicament, saying to Chen Ping’an, “I suppose you already know about the changes at the Lion Garden. That fox spirit now appears with very regular regularity, once every ten days. The last manifestation to beguile people was only half a ten-day ago, so if you, sir, have come here just to enjoy the garden and the view, that’s actually quite sufficient. Moreover, the capital’s Buddhist-Daoist debate is about to start in three days; the Lion Garden wouldn’t dare steal the limelight or delay any immortal master’s itinerary.”
Chen Ping’an decided not to beat around the bush, “Then we’ll trouble you for a few days. Let’s first see how things stand.”
The old steward had probably seen many immortal masters during this time, and likely had even received quite a few wild cultivators who usually didn’t show their faces much. So while leading Chen Ping’an into the Lion Garden, he skipped much of the circumlocution and got straight to the point. He didn’t ask about Chen Ping’an’s sect or background—Chen Ping’an had only given his name—and recounted in detail the current situation at the Lion Garden.
The fox spirit called himself Elder Qing, said he had extremely high Daoist cultivation, and used all sorts of demonic arts endlessly, leaving people exhausted trying to cope. The root of the trouble was last winter at the market. After this great demon saw the lady of the house, he found her divine beauty unrivaled and insisted on becoming her immortal dao partner. At first, he came bearing gifts to formally propose marriage. At the time, the master of the house didn’t see through the handsome youth’s fox demon identity, thinking it was just a case of a fair maiden being courted. He wasn’t angry, but took it as youthful infatuation. On the pretext that his young daughter already had a marriage arrangement, he politely refused the youth. The youth smiled and left. Everyone at the Lion Garden thought the matter was closed. But unexpectedly, on New Year’s Eve, the youth visited again. He said he wanted to play ten games of go with Old Secretary Liu. If he won, he would marry the young lady, and he could also gift the entire Liu family and the Lion Garden with an immortal destiny, enough to raise them to heaven.
Although Old Secretary Liu was skilled at the game—he could even hold his own against several go-champions of the Qingluan Kingdom—he naturally wouldn’t joke with his daughter’s marriage. He refused again.
After that, the handsome youth came to harass them every other day. Meanwhile, the young lady grew thinner and weaker day by day, becoming so haggard she could barely walk normally. Only then did Old Secretary Liu realize disaster was imminent. He immediately sent someone to the capital for help, but that person encountered a ghostly maze, returning to the Lion Garden every time, unable to get out of that narrow path through the landscape. Fortunately, a guest advisor at the Lion Garden had some rough knowledge of immortal affairs. After much painstaking effort, he finally managed to get news of the Lion Garden’s troubles out.
First, an old immortal from a capital Daoist temple who was on good terms with the Liu family came gallantly to their aid. He successfully broke through the mountain-and-water barrier and entered the Lion Garden. He set up an altar under the pathetic girl’s embroidered tower and drew talismans to the four directions. But the next day, the Lion Garden found this venerable Dragon Gate immortal master tied up with his hands bound, stark naked, hanging from a big tree. After being rescued, the old temple master was deeply ashamed, saying only that this fox demon’s Daoist arts were too high, and he was no match.
After that, wave after wave of qi refiners came to expel the fox demon. Some were chivalrous people who admired the Liu family’s conduct, others came for the three ancestral antiques of Old Secretary Liu.
They were all toyed with disgracefully by the fox demon.
To the point that the fox demon openly declared to Old Secretary Liu that he would visit the Lion Garden once every ten days. “Old father-in-law,” he said, “just invite guests from all corners of the land. Let them cross magic with me, your fine son-in-law. I’ll teach the Lion Garden what I’m capable of. Let them know that today’s disaster will surely become a beautiful story in the days to come.”
Chen Ping’an listened silently.
That beanpole girl with a few freckles on her nose was the daughter of the Lion Garden steward. She hadn’t spoken a word the whole way; earlier, she had probably just been sitting with her father at the rest pavilion, chatting.
Before entering the garden, Chen Ping’an glanced at the Lamp-Lighting Talisman stuck on Pei Qian’s forehead. He subtly made a pointing gesture with his finger, but the talisman, which was extremely sensitive to yin energies, showed no reaction.
So Chen Ping’an abandoned the idea of taking it off. His mood was not light. This fox demon, bold and reckless, must have some unique magical abilities. It might even be a great demon at the Earth Immortal level.
Currently, there were three other groups of cultivators still at the Lion Garden, waiting for the fox demon to show up half a ten-day later.
Including Chen Ping’an, that made four parties.
Chen Ping’an and his group were led by the Liu family steward, Old Zhao, to their lodgings. They were arranged to stay in the four corners of the building where the young lady’s embroidered tower was located. In reality, the fox demon came and went without a trace; such a crude arrangement was merely a small comfort to people.
On the way to their lodgings, they took in the pleasant scenery of the Lion Garden. Halls, towers, pavilions, covered walkways, boats, bridges, walls, plants, plaques, couplets—all gave a sense of masterful craftsmanship and comfort.
In a scholarly clan, if it was both wealthy and noble, one could stroll through such a private garden, even without meeting people, without qin, chess, calligraphy, painting, wine, or tea, and it would still be so delightful.
There was no gilded splendor as common folk imagined, nor were there golden carrying poles or silver benches in the house.
A prime minister’s doorman ranked as a seventh-rank official; before a noble family’s gate, there were no barking dogs.
If one ignored the disparity in power and authority and only spoke of familial conduct, some suddenly risen wealthy families were truly incomparable to long-established aristocratic clans.
Chen Ping’an and the others stayed in an elegant standalone courtyard. In fact, its location was already past the flower garden, only a hundred or so paces from the embroidered tower, which violated customary etiquette. In some places on Bottle Gourd Continent where neo-Confucianism reigned supreme, women were strictly forbidden to leave the inner chambers, yet they also spoke of ‘families of close friendship’. But now, with the young lady’s life hanging in the balance, and her father Old Secretary Liu not being a pedantic pedant, he naturally could not afford to be so particular.
Old Secretary Liu had three sons and two daughters. His eldest daughter had already married a promising young man from a family of equal status. During the first month of the year, she and her husband had returned to her maiden home, but unexpectedly, they became trapped and had to stay at the Lion Garden. The other children were similarly unfortunate. Only the eldest son, who as the county magistrate near the River God Temple had not returned for the new year, escaped the disaster. After trouble broke out, among the letters Old Secretary Liu sent out, there was one addressed to his eldest son, with stern wording, forbidding him from returning to the Lion Garden and insisting he should not abandon his public duties for private affairs.
Old Secretary Liu’s second son was the most pitiable. He went out on a journey and came back a cripple.
Old Secretary Liu’s proper name was Liu Jingting. He wasn’t actually very old, but he had been a child prodigy, breezing through the imperial examinations and becoming the top scholar at eighteen. His official career advanced smoothly, and after thirty years as an official, twelve of which he served as Vice Minister of Rites, he resigned and retired before he was even fifty. Both the court and the common people liked to respectfully call him Old Secretary Liu.
Chen Ping’an had just put down his luggage when Old Secretary Liu personally came to visit. He was an elegant, refined old man with a strong literary aura. Even though his family had suffered this catastrophe, Liu Jingting still maintained a calm demeanor. When talking with Chen Ping’an, he was cheerful and at ease, not putting on a brave face. It was just that the worry and fatigue between the old man’s brows gave Chen Ping’an a better impression. He showed both the steadiness of a head of the family and the sincere feelings of a father.
After accompanying Liu Jingting to the courtyard gate, the old secretary smiled and told Chen Ping’an to feel free to walk around the Lion Garden.
Back in the courtyard, Pei Qian was copying books inside the house, with that talisman stuck on her head. She planned to sleep with it on and not take it off.
Shi Rou looked somewhat helpless. The courtyard was actually small, with only three rooms for people to stay in. The Lion Garden steward had assumed that the two elderly retainers could squeeze into one room, thinking it wasn’t discourteous hospitality.
But who knew that the ‘Du Mao’ human shell contained a skeleton woman ghost? Shi Rou would rather spend every night in the yard until dawn than room with that lecher Zhu Lian. Anyway, as a yin entity, sleeping or not sleeping did no harm to her soul or energy.
However, Chen Ping’an said he would stay in the main hall and let Zhu Lian bunk with him.
Shi Rou hesitated a moment, then nodded and said thank you.
Zhu Lian wore an expression of regret, which churned Shi Rou’s insides.
Zhu Lian turned his head to look outside the courtyard gate. Chen Ping’an nodded to him, so Zhu Lian got up and went to open the gate. In the distance, six people were approaching—two of the groups of qi refiners who had come to the Lion Garden to subdue the demon.
One was a married couple of cultivators. The man looked older, around forty, and the woman was relatively younger, about thirty. They were probably both in the Cavern Dwelling stage. The man carried a long sword in a shark-skin scabbard—a common sight among qi refiners. If a qi refiner traveled with a sword, it gave off an air of intimidation. Who knew, they might even be sword cultivators?
The palace-robed woman had average looks, but her skin was as white as snow, which gave her some sense of natural beauty.
The other four included both old and young. Judging by their positions, a young man with a face like jade was the leader—he was actually a pure martial artist. The other three were proper qi refiners: an old man in black with a lively red-furred mink perched on his shoulder; a tall youth with a green, bamboo-leaf-like snake coiled around his arm; and a pretty young girl who followed behind the young man, acting like a personal maid.
Zhu Lian led them into the courtyard, exchanging pleasantries in the Yuezhou language of Bottle Gourd Continent.
The married couple were from the Yunxiao Kingdom, belonging to a mountain sect.
The young man had the compound surname Dugu, from a great dynasty in central Bottle Gourd Continent. Their group of four was divided into master and servant as well as teacher and disciple, having met on the road and become congenial friends. They had once dealt together with a group of bandits and demonic fiends that had occupied a mountain and terrorized the area. Because of the grand Buddhist-Daoist debate, they had decided to travel together through the Qingluan Kingdom.
That young nobleman mentioned that there was one more person, staying alone in the northeastern corner. She was a middle-aged female Daoist carrying a blade, and her Yuezhou language was awkward and hard to understand. She was eccentric and unsociable, so there was no moving her to come meet fellow travelers.
Chen Ping’an again saw them to the courtyard gate.
Back in the courtyard, thinking of that blade-carrying female Daoist, he muttered to himself, “It can’t be that coincidental.”
Zhu Lian asked curiously, “What’s the story?”
Chen Ping’an nodded, “I’ve been to a place called the Master Blade Hall at the Inverted Mountain south of the Bodhi Continent.”
There was a sect of Daoists who all used ritual blades, and they were known as Dharma Blade Daoists.
They had been quite famous in the Central Earth Divine Continent, but later, with a fate similar to that of the Mohist mysterious ‘credit holders’, they gradually faded from view.
Shi Rou remained completely unmoved.
After noticing this detail, Chen Ping’an knew that the Dharma Blade Daoists were indeed not well-known on Bottle Gourd Continent.
The reason was simple, and laughable: this sect of the ritual-blade Daoists were exceptionally arrogant, with high cultivation and extremely overbearing tempers.
They completely looked down on a petty place like Bottle Gourd Continent.
When Chen Ping’an was at the Master Blade Hall, he had seen a bounty list posted on a wall, offering a reward for killing Great Li vassal king Song Changjing. The reason was simply that such a small place as Bottle Gourd Continent had no right to have a tenth-tier martial artist. Killing him would settle the matter, and save them the trouble of being annoyed by the sight of him. Besides that, National Master Cui Chan and the knight-errant Xu Ruo were also on the wall with bounty amounts. But in the case of sword immortal Xu Ruo, it was because of an infatuated woman who loved and hated; as for Cui Chan, it was because he had too notorious a reputation.
After Chen Ping’an recounted the rumors about the Dharma Blade Daoists.
Shi Rou finally changed expression slightly.
Seeing Chen Ping’an smile at him, Zhu Lian quickly swore, “Young master, rest assured! No matter how martial-obsessed and reckless this old servant is, I wouldn’t arbitrarily provoke a female Daoist who might be from the Master Blade Hall across the continent. Besides, if she’s a charming woman, how could Zhu Lian bring myself to ravage a delicate flower? I’d be in too much of a hurry to pick flowers and break willows to ingratiate myself with her. Alas, now that I say that, I really am somewhat curious. I wonder what that female Daoist’s appearance is like. Although Miss Shi Rou must have been an unparalleled beauty in life, having to stare at Old Du’s hide every day—even if this old servant doesn’t judge by appearance—it’s really... getting tiresome.”
Zhu Lian said regretfully, “It seems this old servant’s realm isn’t high enough yet. I can’t see beyond the surface.”
The stooping old man turned around and said apologetically to Shi Rou, “Miss Shi Rou, please rest assured. I admit this vulgar vision of mine is improper. I must change it. If you don’t mind, I’d be glad to share a room with you tonight to properly exercise my mind! Who knows, maybe from one night’s sudden enlightenment, I may learn to become a Zen Buddha on the spot! From then on, when I look at you, you’ll be charming at every turn, stunning at every moment...”
Chen Ping’an coughed twice and took down his wine gourd to drink.
Shi Rou’s face turned icy. She turned and walked to the main hall, slamming the door shut.
Chen Ping’an asked with a soft laugh, “When will you ever let her off?”
Zhu Lian declared with great righteousness, “Young master doesn’t understand. This is also a journey of heart-training for a gallant man like me.”
While they were speaking, Chen Ping’an shook his Sword-Nurturing Gourd.
Zhu Lian understood.
Atop the wall sat a handsome youth in a black robe, clapping and exclaiming in praise, “Well said, well said! This pleases my heart greatly. I didn’t expect that an old fellow like you not only has impressive fist intent, but is even more splendid in person!”
Chen Ping’an looked up and asked, “Immortals and mortals have their differences, demons and men don’t encroach upon each other, birds have their paths, rats have their routes—can’t we each go our own way?”
The handsome youth sat on the wall, legs dangling on either side, his heels lightly tapping the white wall, and laughed, “Well water doesn’t mix with river water; everyone minds their own business. That’s one way of reasoning. But I insist on drinking both well water and stirring up river water. What can you do about me?”
In an instant, a flash of white light flickered across the black-robed youth’s neck.
His head fell from the wall.
But there wasn’t a single drop of blood.
The figure of the handsome youth with his head taken off dissipated. It turned out to be a profound illusion. Besides that, a single strand of black fox fur, fine as a hair, floated in the air.
The fox demon’s exasperated voice echoed in the courtyard, “That ugly woman has a good knife technique! Just you wait! One night, I’ll cover my eyes, blow out the lamp, and let you taste my crotch sword technique!”
On the rooftop, a female Daoist with a blank expression stood on the tip of the upturned eaves, holding a gleaming long knife. She slowly sheathed it.
Chen Ping’an and Zhu Lian exchanged a glance.
Truly, a Dharma Blade Daoist.
This female Daoist was a Golden Core cultivator. That was troublesome.
Zhu Lian dared not be overconfident.
Against an ordinary Golden Core Earth Immortal of Bottle Gourd Continent, Zhu Lian, as a Wanderer Realm martial artist, probably had a very high chance of victory. Even if he claimed that his foundation in the Golden Body Realm wasn’t solid enough, that was only in comparison with his previous sixth tier, with Zheng Dafeng, or with himself.
But against a Dharma Blade Daoist who had made a great name for themselves on the Central Earth Divine Continent, Zhu Lian didn’t think he could necessarily come out ahead.
The middle-aged female Daoist had hollow cheeks and a gaunt, haggard appearance. After sheathing her blade, she spoke slowly in halting Yuezhou language: “This fox demon is my prey. If any of you dare to snatch it, don’t blame my blade for not having eyes.”
Zhu Lian smiled.
This temperament suited his taste.
The stooping old man started to rise. If it suited his taste, then Zhu Lian really couldn’t stand it any longer.
Chen Ping’an reached out to stop Zhu Lian, then spread his palm toward the outside of the courtyard wall, indicating that the Master Blade Hall female Daoist could leave.
The blade-carrying female Daoist’s figure flickered and vanished.
Zhu Lian asked with a smile, “What do you say?”
Chen Ping’an thought for a moment, “Let’s wait.”