Chapter 419: Sword Immortal on the Lake, Flowers Bloom on the Path
Three days later, in the early morning, Chen Ping'an was about to leave the Cliff Academy.
Li Baoping noticed that Li Huai, Pei Qian, and the others had been sneaking around together recently, and even her little master would occasionally disappear. This made Li Baoping feel a bit lost.
That morning, Li Baoping went to Cui Dongshan's courtyard early, intending to see off her little master.
Yesterday, Pei Qian hadn't slept with her either, but she had borrowed Li Baoping's narrow saber, Xiangfu, and the small silver gourd.
Li Baoping found the entire courtyard empty.
Had her little master sneaked off again?
Li Baoping turned around and was about to sprint toward the foot of the mountain.
But then she saw Cui Dongshan, yawning, walking along a path in the distance. Li Baoping stomped her feet in place, ready to shoot off like an arrow at any moment. She asked urgently, "Where's my little master? How long has he been gone?"
Cui Dongshan looked bewildered. "He left a long time ago. It happened in the middle of the night last night. Didn’t you know?"
Li Baoping stopped dead in her tracks, her face—still mostly round but with a chin that was starting to sharpen—creased in a frown.
Cui Dongshan sighed dramatically, seeing that the little girl was about to burst into tears like a flood breaking through a dam. He quickly comforted her, "Don't overthink it. It must be that my master was afraid to see you like this. It was the same last time. Your little master had changed into new clothes and new boots, but he still didn’t go to the academy. I was the only one with him then. I watched him walk away, looking back every few steps."
Li Baoping sniffled.
Cui Dongshan tentatively asked, "How about I accompany you to the lake to clear your head and chat about my master?"
Li Baoping thought for a moment, then nodded.
The two of them headed toward the lake.
It was just before dawn, and no one was around. Normally, at this hour, a few scattered academy students would be reciting passages from the sages by the lake. Today, it was strangely quiet.
Cui Dongshan led Li Baoping to a high platform by the lake. Suddenly, he asked, "Little Baoping, don’t you think your little master is really unkind to leave without saying goodbye? Don’t worry—if you stop recognizing him as your little master, I’ll follow suit and stop recognizing him as my master. Tell me, isn’t that loyal of me?"
Li Baoping glared at him. "What are you talking about? In this whole world, there might be a little master who doesn’t want Li Baoping, but there is no Li Baoping who doesn’t want her little master!"
Cui Dongshan pretended to have an epiphany, letting out an "Oh" with a drawn-out tone. "Is that so?"
Cui Dongshan snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, along the paths around the lake, a dazzling golden ring of light flared to life.
It was a Thunder Pond formed by the immortal flying sword Golden Ear of Grain. Cui Dongshan had now removed part of the illusion.
Then, Li Huai suddenly appeared on a distant path by the lake.
This fellow was leading a white deer by the hand, wearing a bamboo hat like someone else. He had the narrow saber Xiangfu hanging at his waist, and a small silver gourd dangling from his belt.
Li Baoping was stunned for a moment.
After walking for a bit, Li Huai announced loudly, "I, Li Huai, have been in seclusion for three days and have finally mastered a body of martial arts. This time, descending the mountain to roam the martial world, I will thoroughly test the skills of all the heroes from the four seas!"
Cui Dongshan snapped his fingers again.
Then, two figures appeared not far from the high platform. Poor Zhu Lian and Shi Rou were playing the roles of highway bandits, each busy beating up two "frail scholars"—Yu Lu and Lin Shouyi.
Li Huai shouted, "Stop!"
Zhu Lian blocked Li Huai’s path and bellowed, "You too must leave a toll. Hand over your life's savings!"
Li Huai laughed heartily. "Blind little thieves, daring to rob me, the Great Hero Li? Today, I will roar at injustice when I see it. If you have the guts, come and take what you will!"
Zhu Lian performed a series of shuffling steps, like ripples on water, exuding the bearing of a grandmaster. He threw soft punches at Li Huai’s chest. Li Huai stood firm, laughing uproariously.
Zhu Lian shuddered as if struck by lightning, his body trembling like a sieve. He spoke in a trembling voice, "Th-this young hero... what profound inner strength!"
Then he flew backward, twitched a couple of times, and presumably died. Like a minor thug in a martial arts tale, having said that much in front of the hero was already a generous part.
Shi Rou twisted and turned, stepping forward to give Li Huai a gentle slap.
Li Huai waved a hand from afar, laughing, "Scram!"
Shi Rou seemed to be injured by the formidable aura, spinning in the air several times before crashing in the distance. Lying face down, she raised one hand to point at Li Huai, suppressing her inner shame and indignation. "Who in the world are you? I’ve never heard of a master as unfathomable as you in the martial world!"
Li Huai extended a palm and held it upright in front of his chest, mimicking a monk’s speech. "Sin, sin. It’s really because my martial arts are too high; I couldn’t hold back in time."
Li Huai put away his stance and approached the high platform. He looked around and said, "Remember, I am Li Huai, the branch master of the Dragon Spring County Headquarters, the Eastern Flower Mountain Division, and the School Hut Subdivision! In the martial world, I’m known as the ‘Invincible Fists, Mountain-Treading Feet’—the Great Hero Li, the ‘Dual Fist and Foot Master.’ Our overall chief is the one who shakes the world and unites the ages—the contemporary martial world leader: Li! Bao! Ping!"
Li Baoping crossed her arms over her chest and nodded lightly.
Cui Dongshan snapped his fingers, and Li Huai, the white deer, Zhu Lian, Shi Rou, Yu Lu, and Lin Shouyi all vanished.
At the same time, Yu Lu and Xie Xie appeared on the lakeshore to the left and right. One stood playing a flute, the other sat strumming a zither, like a pair of immortal lovers in the martial world.
The flute was melancholic, the zither melodious.
Gradually, they became more passionate and stirring.
On the opposite shore of the lake, directly facing the high platform where Li Baoping stood, Cui Dongshan smiled faintly. A thin, dark figure suddenly appeared. He sprinted wildly, using his mountain-walking staff to launch himself high into the air, leaping toward the lake. Midair, he drew a bamboo saber and a bamboo sword from his waist, twisted his body, and landed with a flourish. It was quite imposing.
Whenever Pei Qian landed on the lake surface, a golden flower appeared beneath her feet, so she didn’t have to worry about falling into the water.
First, Pei Qian performed a "White Ape Drags Saber" move with her bamboo saber. In one surge of momentum as fierce as a tiger, she shot straight for over ten zhang. Then, facing the high platform where Cui Dongshan was, she shouted and slashed heavily with the saber.
Then, with a tip of her toe, she stepped on a golden flower that Cui Dongshan had conjured for her. She twisted her body sharply, tucked the bamboo saber back into her waist, and upon landing, continued her mad dash forward with her self-created "Demonic Sword Style."
To be able to fight the wildest dogs in the future, Pei Qian felt she was putting a lot of effort into her martial arts training.
This unique set of skills, she believed, was unmatched in the world.
Pei Qian executed this sword style with great gusto, completing it in one smooth flow.
She stopped and put away her bamboo sword.
Standing on the lake just seven or eight zhang from the high platform, Pei Qian flicked her wrist and suddenly produced the little hand-twirling gourd. She raised it high and shouted, "The martial world isn’t great, but at least the liquor is decent. Come, come! Who will join me in drinking this martial world’s wine?"
Cui Dongshan laughed heartily, his wide sleeves fluttering as he glided toward Pei Qian. He reached out with both hands—one to grab, one to snap his fingers. With one hand, he snatched the small silver gourd; with the other, he drew two streams of water essence from the lake to serve as wine. One stream swirled around the Silver Sword-Nurturing Gourd, the other floated around the little gourd in Pei Qian’s hand.
The two stood side by side—one large, one small—both tilting their heads back as if drinking.
Then, Cui Dongshan and Pei Qian, as if they had rehearsed it countless times, began to stagger drunkenly, wobbling around. Then they both started walking sideways like crabs, spreading their arms wide, their wide sleeves billowing like waves. Finally, they imitated the little girl in the red short skirt, marching in place and hopping and skipping.
This scene, watched by Li Baoping standing alone on the high platform, made her laugh uncontrollably.
Cui Dongshan suddenly sat down, his wide sleeves flailing. He produced something from somewhere and began to beat a clay pot while singing.
It was a song about eating stinky tofu, adapted from a folk ballad from Dragon Spring County by Chen Ping'an and Pei Qian.
Cui Dongshan sang loudly, "Waiter, I’ve read some books, learned some words, and stored up a belly full of knowledge, but I can’t sell it for a few coins."
Pei Qian had already put away her hand-twirling gourd. She puffed out her chest, raised her head high, and began to circle around Cui Dongshan. "Stinky tofu is delicious, but I can’t afford it, oh!"
"On the mountains, there are demons and monsters; in lakes and rivers, there are water ghosts. I turn my head in fright—oh, I’ve been away from home for so many years."
"I quickly eat a piece of stinky tofu to calm my nerves, oh!"
"Whose little girl carries the scent of orchids? Why is her face stained with tears? Isn’t it pitiful?"
"Eat stinky tofu, oh! Stinky tofu is as fragrant as orchids, oh!"
"Ask the master teacher, what to do? A little paper kite hangs on a branch, drying in the sun."
"Climb the tree and take down the little kite, then go home and eat stinky tofu, oh!"
"Burn incense before the grave: the immortals are like youths; in the grave, the descendants’ bones have been white for a hundred years. Isn’t it laughable?"
This was Cui Dongshan spouting nonsense, so Pei Qian was momentarily stunned. Anyway, she didn’t care and just made up something off the top of her head. "Hey? Who exactly gets to eat the stinky tofu, oh?"
"You speak your reason; I have my fists. The martial world is full of chaos; when will the grudges ever end?"
Cui Dongshan continued to randomly alter the song, and Pei Qian pretended to be a little drunkard again, swaying left and right. "Stinky tofu with alcohol—I’m full and not thirsty. The martial world is boring, I don’t care, oh."
"Everyone says immortals are good, but I say the mountains are not at all carefree..."
Pei Qian glared angrily at Cui Dongshan, who was endlessly twisting the folk song, and also started humming nonsense, "If you keep this up, I’ll even be stuffed with stinky tofu, oh!"
Cui Dongshan stopped tormenting Pei Qian. He stood up and asked, "We’ve eaten stinky tofu, drunk wine. But what about the sword immortal?"
Pei Qian also looked surprised and asked back, "Right, we have the wine, but where is the sword immortal?"
The two looked toward the high platform and said in unison, "Want to try shouting once?"
Li Baoping took a deep breath and called out clearly, "Little Master!"
Cui Dongshan snapped his fingers, and Li Huai and the others all appeared.
Everyone looked toward the summit of Eastern Flower Mountain.
Li Baoping also turned to look.
A white figure swept down from the mountaintop.
With an imposing aura, he landed on the lake’s surface.
His golden liquid dharma robe fluttered endlessly, like a white-clad immortal standing on a mirror-like surface.
Chen Ping'an did not have the sword immortal on his back; only the Sword-Nurturing Gourd hung at his waist.
Chen Ping'an reached out a hand.
Cui Dongshan took a long sword from his Cunjie object, wiped it with two fingers, and imitating Li Baoping’s catchphrase, shouted, "Go you!"
The long sword left its sheath and sliced through the air.
Chen Ping'an caught it, pointed the tip in an arc, then held the sword behind his back. He formed a sword mudra with two fingers in front of his chest and laughed, "People all say that piling snow for grain, grinding bricks for mirrors—those are fools. But I insist on swimming against the current, to crash into the southern wall! Drinking up the martial world’s wine, knowing the world’s principles, I have one sword after another, each faster than the last. One day, when I strike out with this sword, it will be the finest, most carefree sword in the world..."
Chen Ping'an began to skim across the lake like a dragonfly touching water, moving gracefully. The sword in his hand circled smoothly, like wind sweeping autumn leaves. His body turned slightly to the right; his left step landed lightly forward. His right hand, holding the sword, followed the body’s turn, slightly pulling back to the right side, his eyes tracking the sword’s movement. Suddenly, his right foot formed a bow stance, and the sword arced upward and lifted. His eyes sharpened. "The immortal lifts his robe; the sword comes from the sleeve. Following the momentum, the sword arcingly walks. The final stance: the brow-eye looks at the sword tip; upon the sword tip lies the mountains and rivers."
Chen Ping'an strode forward boldly. The sword followed his body, the sword intent continuous, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Suddenly, he stopped. Flicking his wrist, the sword tip lifted. The tip emitted a glow like a white python flicking its tongue. Then the long sword left his hand but clung to him like a bird, flying and spiraling around Chen Ping'an. Using his essence, energy, and spirit, seamlessly combined with the boxing intent of the Six-Step Walking Post, the flying sword moved with each step. On the last step, Chen Ping'an threw a punch that heavily struck the sword’s hilt. The flying sword whirled in front of him, its sword light flowing unsteadily, like a bright moon on the lake. Chen Ping'an extended an arm, his two fingers precisely wiping across the sword’s hilt. With a sweep of his wide sleeve behind him, the flying sword shot out more than ten zhang away. As Chen Ping'an walked slowly, the sword traced circles around him, growing from small to large, illuminating the entire lake with a brilliant, fierce sword aura.
"Visiting the Water God Temple at night, calling upon the City God’s Tower by day. A single-leaf boat in the Dragon’s Trench. The immortal carrying a sword like an array of troops... The world says reason is most useless, but I say within the book lies the sword immortal’s intent. Every character has sword light. Let me teach the sages: one sword, one breath, charging straight into the Dipper and Ox!"
Li Baoping clapped vigorously, her face flushed red.
Chen Ping'an took off the Sword-Nurturing Gourd, tossed it casually, reached out to control the sword, and delivered a thrust, the tip precisely touching the gourd.
His swordplay was even more free and easy than Pei Qian’s Demonic Sword Style.
But no matter how he swung the sword, the Sword-Nurturing Gourd remained perfectly still on the sword tip.
Chen Ping'an didn’t know that Cui Dongshan had already removed the Thunder Pond formed by the golden sword aura.
Although outsiders couldn’t hear the words, many people in the academy could see his figure controlling the sword.
---
A group of people stood at the academy gate.
Chen Ping'an had already strapped on the long sword, the Sword Immortal, and the large bamboo box.
Pei Qian carried a slanted bundle, held a mountain-walking staff, and had a saber and a sword hanging at her waist.
Zhu Lian and Shi Rou stood to one side.
After a whispered exchange with Pei Qian—agreeing that they would definitely roam the martial world together someday—Li Huai said softly to Chen Ping'an, "When you get to Dragon Spring County, be sure to check on my house for me."
Chen Ping'an nodded with a smile. "No problem."
Then he said to Li Baoping, Lin Shouyi, Li Huai, and the others, "All of you go to class. No need to see me off. I’ve already taken up enough time. The teachers probably won’t want to see me again."
Li Baoping didn’t insist on seeing her little master all the way to the gates of the Great Sui capital. She nodded. "Little master, take care on the road."
Chen Ping'an rubbed her head. "Do I need you to tell me that?"
Li Baoping broke into a smile.
Chen Ping'an clasped his hands in farewell to Mao Xiaodong.
Mao Xiaodong nodded in acknowledgment, stroking his beard and smiling. "Come often in the future."
Finally, Cui Dongshan said he would escort his master to the end of White Thatched Street.
Pei Qian also exchanged some whispers with Baoping. The two heads leaned together, and finally, Pei Qian beamed. Ah, the little branch master was in her pocket!
Chen Ping'an and Cui Dongshan walked slowly at the front. They went all the way down this street, turned into White Thatched Street, and finally, at the end of White Thatched Street, Cui Dongshan stopped. He said slowly, "Master, I don’t feel that the world today has become worse than before. There are more and more cultivators on the mountains, and more people are well-fed and well-clothed below. What do you think?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. "It should be that way."
Cui Dongshan looked up at the sky and murmured, "But it cannot be denied that the peaks rising high above the earth, like swords pointing at the heavens—those peaks—between every hundred and thousand years, they appear less and less. So I hope that all our joys and sorrows, partings and reunions, don’t become the pecking outside the chicken coop, the chirping in the sparrow’s nest, or the desolate cicada song on the branch."
Cui Dongshan pointed upward. "In the higher sky, there must always be one or two crane calls, distant from the ground, yet they make people feel sorrow. Once you have looked up and heard them, it’s hard to forget."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "I think it’s good that you can think this way."
Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment. "Your master hasn’t read many books yet and has little knowledge. For now, I can’t give you an answer, but I’ll think about it more. Even if I can’t give you an answer in the end, I’ll tell you: the master can’t figure it out. The student has stumped the master. At that time, the student must not laugh at the master."
This was probably the first time in Chen Ping'an’s life that he admitted he was Cui Dongshan’s master.
Cui Dongshan’s smile was brilliant. He suddenly made a deep bow. When he straightened up, he said softly, "On the ridge of the hometown, the flowers bloom on the path. Master, you can take your time returning."
Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "It’s already autumn."
Cui Dongshan shook his head vigorously. "May my master’s heart be like spring, all year round."
Chapter 420: Mountains and Waters Remain the Same
(Everyone has been waiting a long time. A 14,000-character chapter.)
The journey home from the Great Sui capital to the Great Li Dragon Spring County was a road Chen Ping'an knew intimately.
He still chose remote mountain paths as much as possible, far from people. Besides walking the Heaven and Earth Stakes, he also had Zhu Lian help him with fist practice every day, and the sessions became increasingly serious. Zhu Lian started by suppressing his realm to the Sixth Tier, and eventually reached the peak of the Seventh Tier. The scale of the fights grew larger and larger, worrying Pei Qian. If her master hadn’t been wearing that dharma robe, the Golden Liquid, how much wasted money would he have spent on clothes? During their first sparring match, Chen Ping'an had to stop halfway because his boot had torn a gash. He had to take off his boots and continue fighting Zhu Lian barefoot.
After leaving the Great Sui border, Chen Ping'an switched to straw sandals, which amused Pei Qian greatly. Then Chen Ping'an made a pair for her too, and the little charcoal could no longer laugh. Straw sandals were sturdy and actually more reliable than ordinary boots for climbing mountains and crossing water, but they did rub the feet raw. Fortunately, Chen Ping'an didn’t insist that Pei Qian wear them all the time. When Pei Qian pricked her blisters with a needle, Zhu Lian stood by making sarcastic remarks. The old man and the little girl had gotten used to verbal sparring every day.
At that moment, Chen Ping'an was sitting by a mountain stream, having taken off his straw sandals and dipped his feet in the water, his thoughts drifting far away.
It wasn’t exactly that he was nervous about nearing home, but compared to his first journey home, he now had many more concerns. The ancestral house in Mud Vase Alley, the bamboo lodge on Fallen Mountain, Wei Bo’s mention of purchasing the mountain, the affairs of two shops on Riding Dragon Lane, the repairs of the clay Bodhisattvas and heavenly official statues at the Immortal Tomb—all sorts of things. These were thoughts Chen Ping'an had never had before, and they often came to mind. As for returning to Dragon Spring County, he would first go to Book Tally Lake to visit Gu Can, then go to Colorful Garment Nation to see that couple and the old lady who cooked such delicious home-style meals. He also had to visit the old Sword Sage Song Yushao of Comb Water Nation, as he still owed the old senior a hotpot. Chen Ping'an also wanted to show off to the old man that the girl he loved also loved him back, and it wasn’t as terrifying as Senior Song had said.
Cui Dongshan, Lu Tai, and even Liu Qingshan of the Lion Garden all possessed a refined, scholarly elegance that Chen Ping'an naturally admired deeply, but he didn’t feel the need to emulate them.
This was called loving the new without forgetting the old, so his possessions kept piling up.
Chen Ping'an felt this was a good habit, as rare as his talent for naming things—one of the few things he could be slightly proud of.
Chen Ping'an suddenly turned to Pei Qian and said, "When you roam the martial world with Li Huai and the others in the future, don’t be too constrained. And don’t feel you have to imitate me in everything."
Pei Qian said shyly, "I do want to learn from Master, but I just can’t manage it."
Zhu Lian laughed. "Pei Qian, if I compile a Flattery Manual someday, it’ll definitely sell big in the martial world. When that happens, I’ll have to split the earnings with you."
Pei Qian said seriously, "You mustn’t go back on your word. We’ll split it fifty-fifty!"
Zhu Lian pointed at Pei Qian. "You, girl, you’ll fall into a money pit for life and never climb out."
Pei Qian imitated Li Huai, shaking her head and making a face while chanting, "Not listening, not listening. A turtle chanting sutras."
Chen Ping'an smiled knowingly. "I heard from Li Huai that you’ve decided to go treasure hunting everywhere together in the future?"
Zhu Lian teased, "Oh, immortal lovers? Promising yourselves to each other at such a young age?"
Pei Qian fumed, "Li Huai and I are kindred spirits as martial friends. There’s no romance or love. Old Cook, stop spouting dirty nonsense here!"
Then Pei Qian immediately changed her tone and said to Chen Ping'an with a smile, "Master, you don’t have to worry about me being disloyal in the future. I’m not one of those martial world women in books who lose their heads at the sight of a man. If I find any valuable treasures with Li Huai, I’ve already agreed to split them evenly. When the time comes, my share will all be given to you, Master."
Chen Ping'an just smiled and let it be.
After that, the group smoothly arrived at the prefectural city of the Yellow Court Kingdom, located on the banks of the Royal River. This was where Chen Ping'an and Cui Dongshan had traveled together, witnessing several sword cultivators flying across the street on their swords, causing chaos. At that time, Chen Ping'an didn’t intervene. Given his strength then, he couldn’t do anything about it, so he could only watch coldly.
As the old saying goes, "A small temple has a big evil wind."
Not to mention the southern territories of Great Li, even in the Great Sui kingdom and the capital of the Green Luan Kingdom, Qi Practitioners didn’t dare to be so reckless.
But in the prefectural cities of these vassal states, both registered immortal masters and wild rogue cultivators were very unrestrained. Even when commoners were caught in the trouble, they simply accepted it as bad luck, because there was nowhere to seek justice. The imperial court didn’t want to get involved, as it would be more trouble than it was worth, and local officials didn’t dare to interfere. Even if there were righteous heroes who were indignant, they were powerless.
It was in this very prefectural city that Cui Dongshan, in the Orchid Cao family’s library, subdued the pink-skirted girl, a fire python born from the literary essence of the library, and the blue-clad boy who had been bullying others under the jurisdiction of the Royal River God.
The pink-skirted girl was a "literary spirit" born from famous essays and popular poetry. As for the blue-clad boy, according to Wei Bo’s letter, he was somehow connected to Lu Chen. That Daoist patriarch, now in charge of the Jade Capital City, had wanted to take the blue-clad boy to the Azure Underworld. But the boy didn’t agree, so Lu Chen left the Golden Lotus Seed and instructed Chen Ping'an to help the boy—a water snake—transform into a dragon through the river sacrifice in the Northern Juzhou Province in the future.
Chen Ping'an had no objection to this, nor did he harbor much suspicion.
The prefectural city was still bustling. It seemed that changing the suzerain state from Great Sui Gao to Great Li Song had little impact on the people of the Yellow Court Kingdom. Life continued leisurely.
However, it was said that when the Great Li iron cavalry had campaigned south, one of their cavalry units had advanced along the border between Great Sui and the Yellow Court Kingdom.
They weren’t exactly an invading army that didn’t harm the people, but they didn’t cause too much turmoil in the Yellow Court Kingdom’s court or its populace.
Along the journey deep into the Yellow Court Kingdom, Chen Ping'an often heard gossip in the marketplaces. People expressed pride in being subjects of Great Li, praising the Great Li iron cavalry’s invincibility. The initial skepticism and caution toward the Yellow Court Kingdom emperor’s wise decision had turned into unanimous approval and praise.
At the same time, the Yellow Court Kingdom’s Purple Sun Mansion, the Royal River, the Cold Food River, and the Five Peaks had become the first immortal residences and mountain-water deities recognized by the Great Li court, enjoying unprecedented fame.
As dusk approached, they entered the city. Pei Qian was undoubtedly the happiest. Although they were still a considerable distance from the Great Li border, every step brought her closer to Dragon Spring County, as if she were going home. Recently, she had been radiating a joyful aura.
Zhu Lian didn’t feel much. He still considered himself a rootless duckweed, drifting here and there, never settling. It was just a change of scenery. Still, he was curious about Dragon Spring County, which had once been a small cave heaven. When he learned that Fallen Mountain had a Zhibei Realm grandmaster, he was eager to meet him.
Only Shi Rou was filled with trepidation.
Through Chen Ping'an’s intermittent chats and Cui Dongshan’s description of Dragon Spring County as a place hidden dragons and crouching tigers, Shi Rou felt like carrying this immortal relic body there was like walking into a tiger’s mouth.
Cui Dongshan’s deliberate teasing, "An immortal relic body finds it hard to live there," only made Shi Rou more anxious.
After Chen Ping'an entered the city, he first bought some odds and ends. Then he chose a tavern in a bustling area and had a few drinks with Zhu Lian, also buying two jars of wine. After that, they looked for a place to stay.
As Chen Ping'an once again walked through the bustling streets of this prefectural city, he didn’t encounter any "carefree" sword cultivators playing among the people.
If they had been harming people, Chen Ping'an wouldn’t have minded directly punching them off their swords.
As for any subsequent repercussions, such as implicating a few mountain patriarchs, he didn’t care.
Having traveled through Inverted Mountain and the two continents, Chen Ping'an knew that in vassal states like the Yellow Court Kingdom, Golden Core Earth Immortals were already the top figures, beyond reach. Besides, even if he encountered a Nascent Soul Cultivator, Chen Ping'an could be confident that with Zhu Lian, a Far Travel Realm martial artist, as support, and with Shi Rou, who could swallow a Nascent Soul sword cultivator’s natal flying sword unharmed, they could at least escape.
For example, that time their group had stayed at the private mansion of the retired Vice Minister of Revenue, Elder Cheng, hidden in the mountains. He was a great Confucian scholar of the Yellow Court Kingdom, author of the "Collection of Light Sword Flicks," renowned in the northern literary circles of Bottle Gourd Continent.
Later, Chen Ping'an learned that the old man had actually traveled through the world in different identities and appearances throughout the Yellow Court Kingdom’s history. At that time, he had warmly hosted Chen Ping'an and his group when they happened to pass by.
Near his elegant residence was a huge cliff, a famous scenic spot, with many visitors and extraordinary landscapes.
Later, Cui Dongshan revealed a secret: the old man was actually an ancient Shu Kingdom remnant dragon species that had lain dormant for a long time. Through Cui Dongshan’s personal recommendation, he had been recruited by the Great Li court as the Vice Principal of the Forest Deer Academy on Cloak Cloud Mountain. The old dragon’s eldest daughter was the founding ancestor of the Purple Sun Mansion, the Yellow Court Kingdom’s largest mountain sect. His youngest son was the Cold Food River God. The eldest daughter, a Golden Core female dragon, had tried to break through the Golden Core bottleneck to reach Nascent Soul by practicing heretical methods, but she fell short. For a hundred years, she wouldn’t be able to advance further.
Dragon species faced increasing difficulty on the path of cultivation after forming their Golden Core.
The five greatest opportunities in the Bead Grotto-Heaven were the golden carp belonging to Great Sui Prince Gao Xuan; the four-legged snake that refused to stay in Chen Ping'an’s ancestral house; the fire dragon coiled on Ruan Xiu’s wrist as a bracelet; Zhao Yao’s temporarily dormant carved wooden chi dragon paperweight; and the loach Chen Ping'an had caught and given to Gu Can. These creatures were coveted because they could reach Nascent Soul without any hindrance. Raising one of them was equivalent to having a Jade Purity Realm combatant.
In Bottle Gourd Continent, where cultivators above the fifth tier were scarce, which cultivator wouldn’t be envious?
Moreover, these five creatures, closely related to true dragon bloodlines, once bonded to a master, would constantly nourish the master’s body through a spiritual connection, ultimately granting the master a physique equivalent to a Golden Body Realm pure martial artist.
Just as Chen Ping'an was about to lead the group into an inn, he and Zhu Lian turned to look down the street.
A tall, cold-faced woman approached gracefully. When she reached Chen Ping'an and the others, she smiled and said in perfect Great Li official language, "Young Master Chen, my father is a friend of your Great Li Northern Mountain God Wei Bo and now serves as the Vice Principal of Forest Deer Academy. He once hosted you, Young Master Chen. Before leaving the Yellow Court Kingdom, he instructed me that if you ever passed through here, I must fulfill my duties as a host and not neglect you. Not long ago, I received a letter from Cloak Cloud Mountain. I’ve been waiting in this area for some time. If my surveillance offended you, I hope you’ll forgive me. Here, I sincerely invite you, Young Master Chen, to be my guest at Purple Sun Mansion for a few days."
Chen Ping'an asked, "If I decline today because I’m in a hurry, will it cause trouble for you, Senior?"
The tall woman, the old dragon’s eldest daughter and the founder of Purple Sun Mansion, laughed. "Naturally, it won’t. But I sincerely hope you can stay at Purple Sun Mansion for a day or two. The scenery there is quite good, and we have some local specialties that are presentable. If you don’t agree, my father and the Mountain God won’t scold me. But if you give me this face, I’ll definitely earn a small merit that my fair and just father and Lord Wei will remember."
Chen Ping'an hesitated briefly, then nodded with a smile. "Alright, then we’ll impose on you, Senior, for a day or two?"
The tall woman, a remnant of the ancient Shu Kingdom dragon species, took out a small gourd-shaped boat carving, no larger than a woman’s finger, and threw it to the ground. Mist swirled, and suddenly a miniature pleasure boat, three stories high and able to accommodate forty or fifty people, appeared. As she tossed the gourd, a magical artifact, she simultaneously waved her sleeve, gently pushing pedestrians on the street aside to both sides.
At the same time, she took a stack of colorful talismans from her sleeve and let them fall to the ground. The talismans transformed into a group of graceful, beautiful maidens, glancing around with charm, impossible to recognize as mere paper talismans moments before.
They swiftly carried a boarding plank from the boat.
The tall woman smiled. "Please board, Young Master Chen."
Pei Qian watched wide-eyed, thinking that she too must have such treasures—a pleasure boat and those talismans—even if she had to sell everything to get them, because it was just too impressive!
Chen Ping'an patted Pei Qian’s head and led her aboard the boat with the tall female cultivator.
Under everyone’s gaze, the boat slowly rose into the air and soared off, fast, covering miles in the blink of an eye.
Standing on the Immortal Boat of the Purple Sun Mansion’s founding ancestor, they could see the Royal River winding for nearly a thousand miles below.
Chen Ping'an stood by the railing with Pei Qian, watching the picturesque landscapes on the ground.
He suddenly thought of home and the counties, towns, and markets along the way to Dragon Spring County—those high mountains and beautiful waters he had seen and firmly remembered.
And he thought of some people back home.
Among his classmates who had left Bead Grotto-Heaven with Tutor Ma Fu, Li Huai and Lin Shouyi had eventually followed Chen Ping'an and Li Huai.
Dong Shuijing and Shi Chunjia had chosen to stay behind or move with their families to the Great Li capital.
Chen Ping'an had good feelings for them too. One had a simple and honest nature, similar to his own background, making him feel close. The other, with her two pigtails, was lively and adorable, clearly intelligent and clever.
He didn’t think their choices were wrong.
Deep down, Chen Ping'an hoped that the mountains and waters of his hometown would remain the same, whether for those who stayed like Dong Shuijing and Shi Chunjia, or those who had left like Liu Xianyang, Gu Can, and Zhao Yao—that in their hearts, they would still hold the green hills and clear waters of their homeland.
Of course, on this journey home, Chen Ping'an also needed to visit the mansion of the bridal-ghost woman, the one with the inscription "Elegant Scenery and Lofty Breeze."
There were some words he had held in his belly back then, and he needed to speak with her.
---
In the twilight, Dong Shuijing hung the "Closed" sign on his wonton shop, but he didn’t hurry to close the shop’s wooden shutters. Having been in business for a while, he knew that sometimes incense-burning pilgrims who had agreed to stop by on their way down the mountain would be a little late. So even after hanging the sign, Dong Shuijing would wait about half an hour. However, he didn’t ask his two newly hired assistants to wait with him. When customers did come, Dong Shuijing would cook himself. Though his two assistants, also from poor backgrounds, wanted to share the burden, Dong Shuijing wouldn’t allow it.
Dong Shuijing’s wonton shop had become famous. Many wealthy people from the new Dragon Spring County town had invited him to open two more shops there, but Dong Shuijing declined each time.
Besides this shop halfway up the mountain with a mountain god temple at the top, Dong Shuijing had used the large sum of silver from selling one of the town’s ancestral houses early on to buy half a street of houses in the new county town. He kept one for himself and rented out the others.
Dong Shuijing was also among the first locals to pick up bargains. Many of the elderly, solitary locals in the two ancestral house neighborhoods, stubborn and unwilling to sell their heirlooms even at exorbitant prices from outsiders, would say things like, "Can I live on a pile of silver at night? Or will it fill my coffin and go with me to the next life?" Those immortal clan members had to deal patiently with these old folks, who might be nothing but bones in a few years. They found them incomprehensible but dared not force a sale, so they left disappointed with their immortal money.
But when Dong Shuijing visited, whether because the old people remembered the boy they had watched grow up or because he was silver-tongued, they would sell him their items at prices far below what the outsiders offered—half selling, half giving. Dong Shuijing made several trips to Bullhorn Mountain’s Baggage Trader and earned another immeasurable fortune. Added to his own diligent mountain and water adventures, he managed to buy many plots of land from Governor Wu, Magistrate Yuan, and Supervisor Cao, who had each visited his shop. Unbeknownst to many, Dong Shuijing had become one of the richest households in the new Dragon Spring County. There was even a daunting rumor on the mountain that he was "Dong Half-City."
Today, after chatting with his two young assistants about daily life and seeing them off, Dong Shuijing, now a tall young shopkeeper, stayed alone in the shop. He made himself a bowl of steaming wontons as a reward. As dusk fell and the autumn chill deepened, after eating and cleaning up, he stepped outside the shop and looked up the incense-burning path to the mountain. He didn’t see any pilgrims returning, so he planned to close up. But just then, a young man in Confucian robes came from the foot of the mountain. Dong Shuijing knew him well, so he smiled and led him inside, making another bowl of wontons and bringing a pot of homemade rice wine. They spoke entirely in the Dragon Spring dialect. Dong Shuijing spoke slowly, afraid the other might not understand.
The visitor was an odd man named Gao Xuan, who claimed to be a wandering scholar coming to study at the Forest Deer Academy on Cloak Cloud Mountain. His Great Li official language was not very fluent, but he still wanted to learn the Dragon Spring dialect from Dong Shuijing.
After Gao Xuan finished his wontons, Dong Shuijing poured two bowls of rice wine. For rice wine to be mellow, water and glutinous rice were key. Dragon Spring County lacked neither, and for the glutinous rice, Dong Shuijing had asked Supervisor Cao to transport it to Dragon Spring from a land of fish and rice in Great Li, at a price far below market. This had led to the establishment of a sizable rice wine brewery in the new Dragon Spring County town, which now began to sell to the Great Li capital region. It wasn’t yet an enormous profit, but the prospects and financial outlook were good. Wine shops in the capital region were gradually accepting Dragon Spring rice wine. The existence of Bead Grotto-Heaven and its various immortal legends only added to the wine’s appeal. For the distribution of the rice wine, Dong Shuijing had sought help from Magistrate Yuan. This small-profit, high-volume business involved nods from Wu Yuan, Magistrate Yuan’s opening of the capital’s doors, and Supervisor Cao’s transport of glutinous rice.
Among Governor Wu Yuan, Magistrate Yuan, and Supervisor Cao, Governor Wu had the highest rank. Although a prefectural governor with the rank of fourth grade wasn’t considered a true frontier official, as the youngest current governor in the Great Li court, Wu Yuan was no one to underestimate. His teacher was none other than Great Li State Preceptor Cui Chan. Unfortunately, since Wu Yuan’s promotion, his reputation had suffered compared to before he left the capital. It was said that during the time Wu County was being upgraded to a prefecture, the man sent by the State Preceptor with high hopes had been severely squeezed by the local influential clans, stumbling and hitting many walls.
But Wu Yuan had a good teacher, something others could only envy.
Still, Wu Yuan had become a bit of a joke in the Great Li capital’s court.
The other two, Magistrate Yuan and Supervisor Cao, were more highly regarded in the Great Li officialdom. They weren’t just elite descendants of two Upper Pillar State surnames. Both had thrived in their respective domains in Dragon Spring County. Magistrate Yuan was responsible for part of the construction of immortal caves on the western mountain, and the successful start and completion of the Immortal Tomb and the Civil and Military Temples on Old Porcelain Mountain were also his achievements. The prominent local families that remained didn’t recognize Governor Wu Yuan, but they were willing to recognize this magistrate with a smaller official hat.
As for the Kiln Affairs Supervisory Office where Supervisor Cao worked, on the surface, it was a low-key office overseeing the dragon kilns that fired imperial porcelain. In truth, it was tasked with secretly monitoring all mountain forces in Dragon Spring County.
The two most esteemed surnames of Great Li, Yuan and Cao, were as incompatible as fire and water. The Great Li iron cavalry had advanced south in three divisions, and behind two of them stood the figures of these two Upper Pillar State surnames.
Dong Shuijing’s ability to win over all three with an unremarkable little business was no mean feat—a "lucky stumble."
In truth, the rice wine business was Dong Shuijing’s idea, but the specific plans, each interlocking step, had been devised by someone else.
Afterward, when Dong Shuijing asked that person why descendants of such illustrious families like Magistrate Yuan and Supervisor Cao would not refuse such a small profit—for instance, at the end of last year, Dong Shuijing had earned seventy thousand taels of silver from the three-way profit split, while Yuan and Cao together had only received one hundred and forty thousand taels of silver. To a marketplace merchant, this was a huge profit, and future dividends would indeed steadily increase, but Dong Shuijing knew the approximate wealth of the Yuan and Cao families. He honestly couldn’t understand.
The man told Dong Shuijing that in the world of business, besides dividing by size and value, there was also the distinction between dirty-money deals and clean trades.
Making a fortune from capital crimes was one kind of skill. Making steady, long-term money from a clean, small business was another kind of ability. Moreover, many small businesses, when taken to the extreme, could become a true path to wealth, a century-spanning business that reinforced a wealthy clan’s foundation.
Finally, the man fished out an ordinary copper coin, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Dong Shuijing, who was sincerely seeking advice. "Even the God of Wealth of the Haoran World, the Liu family of Ao’ao Continent, started from their first copper coin. Think about it."
That fellow, who always carried a sword across his back, then left, saying he was going to the Great Sui capital. If his luck was good, he might meet the founding patriarch of the Merchant School, that old man who looked young, who had gained the world’s trust by using a great divine power of dropping a World Tree, and was eventually recognized by the Ritual Sage.
Dong Shuijing pondered for a long time before remembering that the man had eaten two large bowls of wontons and drunk a pot of rice wine, and had paid with just one copper coin.
But Dong Shuijing, who was usually meticulous in business, didn’t feel cheated. On the contrary, he had gained.
Gao Xuan saw that Dong Shuijing was distracted while drinking wine and asked with a smile, "Something on your mind? You can tell me. I might not be able to help, but I can listen to you vent a little."
Dong Shuijing shook his head and joked, "I was just thinking about some things about the future. No complaints. Every day I go back to my house in the county town, exhausted. After counting the money, I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. When I open my eyes, it’s a new day. Busy and fulfilling."
Gao Xuan sighed. "I envy you."
Dong Shuijing was speechless. He didn’t think Gao Xuan was just making idle complaints about sorrow. Every family has its own difficulties, and it had little to do with how much money one had. So Dong Shuijing didn’t respond, just took a sip of his homemade rice wine. In the shop, the red paper labels of the Dong Brewery had been torn off the wine pots to avoid trouble, preventing the simple, heart-soothing shop from quickly becoming a messy place. Even now, few in the chaotic Dragon Spring County, where all sorts of immortals mixed, knew exactly how much wealth Dong Shuijing actually had.
Gao Xuan paid and said he would continue up the mountain to stay overnight at the mountain god temple and see the sunrise at the summit. Dong Shuijing gave him the shop key and told him that if he changed his mind, he could stay in the shop—it was at least a place sheltered from the wind and rain. Gao Xuan declined the kindness and went up the mountain alone.
Dong Shuijing then went down the mountain. He ran into Xu Ruo, who had just returned from the Great Sui capital. Xu Ruo said he wanted to eat some wontons to fill his stomach before continuing to the Bullhorn Mountain ferry to the Great Li capital. So Dong Shuijing had to go back, open the shop, and make him two large bowls. He didn’t bring rice wine; he wasn’t going to be polite with this man. Dong Shuijing sat across from him, watching Xu Ruo wolf down the food.
Xu Ruo mumbled, "Do you know who that young man just now was?"
Dong Shuijing hadn’t thought much about it. His interactions with Gao Xuan were free of too many interests, and Dong Shuijing liked it that way. He was naturally fond of doing business, but business wasn’t everything in life. Since Xu Ruo asked, and Dong Shuijing wasn’t stupid, the answer was obvious. "The Great Sui prince from the Geyang Gao family? Here as a hostage in Great Li?"
Xu Ruo nodded.
Dong Shuijing hesitated, then asked, "Can you not do any business involving Gao Xuan?"
Xu Ruo smiled. "Of course I can. The reason I’m telling you this is that I hope you understand a principle."
Dong Shuijing became serious. "Please speak, sir."
It was only at times like this that Dong Shuijing was willing to address Xu Ruo as "sir."
Xu Ruo glanced at the shop counter. Dong Shuijing immediately went to get a pot of rice wine and set it on the table. Xu Ruo took a sip of the long-lasting, mellow wine. "When you’re doing a small business, you rely on diligence. When it grows bigger, you still need diligence, but the word ‘information’ becomes increasingly important. You need to be adept at uncovering the details that everyone overlooks and the messages hidden beneath them. One day, you’ll find them useful. And don’t feel burdened by that. The world is vast. Knowing information doesn’t mean you have to use it to harm others’ businesses. A good business is always mutually beneficial."
Dong Shuijing nodded.
Xu Ruo asked again, "What do you think of Wu Yuan, Magistrate Yuan, Supervisor Cao, and Gao Xuan? The temperaments they show you?"
Dong Shuijing said slowly, "Governor Wu is gentle, Magistrate Yuan is rigorous, Supervisor Cao is dashing. Gao Xuan is carefree."
Xu Ruo asked, "Why is that?"
Dong Shuijing had an answer ready. Without hesitation, he said, "Governor Wu’s teacher, State Preceptor Cui Chan, is now very prominent. Governor Wu has to keep a low profile. He can’t afford to be complacent and attract unnecessary envy and attacks. The Yuan family’s tradition has always been cautious. If I’m not mistaken, the Yuan family motto includes the words ‘hide wind and gather water.’ The Cao family has many border army descendants, so their style is bold. Gao Xuan, as a Great Sui prince stranded here, can’t help but feel somewhat disheartened. Even if he’s angry inside, on the surface, he still has to appear calm and indifferent."
Xu Ruo said, "Those are correct, but they’re still superficial. You can think of these things, and many others can too. So this doesn’t count as ‘information’ that can generate wealth. You need to go deeper, higher. Think more about the broader court patterns and the trends of dynasties. It may not be immediately useful for your current business, but once you develop the habit, it will benefit you for life."
Dong Shuijing nodded. "I understand."
Xu Ruo smiled. "I’m not a true Debt-Cleaver. What I can teach you is actually shallow. But you have talent. You can go from shallow to deep. In the future, I’ll visit you less and less. Also, remember that I am part of your ‘information’ too. I’m not boasting—this exclusive information isn’t small. So if you ever encounter an insurmountable difficulty, you can naturally do business with me. Don’t let pride get in the way."
Dong Shuijing said, "Mm."
Xu Ruo took out a Peace and Prosperity Token. "Your current wealth doesn’t yet qualify you to possess this Great Li Peace Token. But I’ve earned a few over the years, and leaving them in my hands is a pure waste, so I’ve given them all away. Consider me far-sighted; I’ve spotted your potential early. I’ll ask for a share of the profits later. Go to the Governor’s Office tomorrow. After that, it will be recorded in the local yamen and the Ministry of Rites."
Dong Shuijing didn’t refuse. He put the token away carefully, tucking it into his chest.
This Peace and Prosperity Token was now beyond priceless.
Countless kings, chancellors, registered immortal masters, wild cultivators, and mountain-water deities across the vast northern territory of Bottle Gourd Continent coveted one.
Xu Ruo teased, "I heard that your future father-in-law passed through this small town on his way from Parasol Leaf Continent back to Northern Juzhou, but you didn’t take the chance to visit him?"
Dong Shuijing laughed bitterly. "By the time I knew, Uncle Li had already left the town."
Xu Ruo asked with a smile, "Do you want to know how your rival Lin Shouyi is doing at Cliff Academy?"
Dong Shuijing nodded. "Yes."
Xu Ruo smiled, saying nothing.
Dong Shuijing asked directly, "How much?"
Xu Ruo reached out and summoned a pot of rice wine from behind the counter. "He hasn’t broken into the mid-fifth realm yet, but he’s made a name for himself in the Great Sui capital. If you don’t work hard, once Lin Shouyi becomes a mid-fifth realm immortal, a flood of opportunities will come his way. His income could easily reach hundreds of thousands of taels of silver with a snap of his fingers. He’ll quickly surpass you."
Dong Shuijing hesitated. "Of course, I don’t want to lose to Lin Shouyi. But some things aren’t just about earning more or less."
Xu Ruo chuckled, stood up with the wine pot in his hand, and said, "Having something is better than having nothing. More is better than less. Many problems that seem unsolvable by money ultimately stem from not having enough money."
Dong Shuijing stood up as well. "Sir, why haven’t you told me the true meaning of the Debt-Cleavers? You’ve only taught me these merchant skills."
Xu Ruo laughed and asked back, "Only?"
Dong Shuijing was puzzled.
But Xu Ruo said nothing more and left the shop.
Dong Shuijing cleared the table, closed the shop door, and went down the mountain toward the new Dragon Spring County town.
In the night, the young man, who considered himself reeking of copper, traveled under the stars.
---
The Dragon Spring Sword Sect, led by Sect Leader Ruan Qiong, had recently taken on over ten registered disciples, finally adding some life to the several previously silent peaks.
There was much speculation about how many Ruan Qiong, the Sage, would eventually accept as formal disciples.
The reason for these temporary registrations at the Dragon Spring Sword Sect was the Great Li Song family’s emphasis on the master sword-forger Ruan Qiong. The court had specially selected twelve exceptionally gifted children and young teenagers, escorted by a thousand elite cavalry, and delivered them to the foot of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect’s mountain.
At the time, Ruan Qiong was at the forge, casting a sword, and didn’t appear. A young man in a black robe, who had only recently formed his Golden Core, handled the reception. When these children learned that this man was a genuine Golden Core Earth Immortal, their eyes lit up with intense admiration. Ruan Qiong’s sage title, the elite Great Li court guards as attendants, and the Sword Sect’s prestigious name had already left a deep impression.
In the legends, the path of cultivation, becoming an immortal on the mountain, was full of unknowns and dangers. Being accepted into the Dragon Spring Sword Sect and chosen by Sage Ruan as a formal disciple ensured a smooth journey to at least the mid-fifth realm.
Among the twelve, one was identified as an extremely rare innate sword embryo, certain to nurture a natal flying sword.
Three others had the potential to become Earth Immortals. The remaining eight were also fine cultivation materials, expected to reach the mid-fifth realm.
This showed the Great Li Song family’s unstinting support for Ruan Qiong.
After settling in, Ruan Qiong appeared only once during his forging session, briefly confirming each person’s cultivation potential, then entrusted their teaching to his other core disciples. The process would be one of continuous selection. For the Dragon Spring Sword Sect, the aptitude to become a Qi Practitioner was just a stepping stone. Cultivation talent and fundamental nature were more important in Ruan Qiong’s eyes.
Only after arriving did they learn that Sect Leader Ruan had a daughter named Ruan Xiu, who liked to wear green clothes and tie her hair in a ponytail. She was unforgettable at first sight.
Some of the young boys’ hearts fluttered, but they dared not show it.
These newcomers to Dragon Spring Sword Sect liked to call Ruan Xiu "Senior Sister."
Ruan Xiu, who was friendly to everyone but not particularly close to anyone, told them several times, but she couldn’t change it, so she let them call her Senior Sister.
Over time, the disciples—some already standing out, others beginning to feel the pressure—noticed that Senior Sister was the strangest existence in an already strange sect.
No one ever saw her cultivate. She either stayed in her quarters or went to the forbidden Sword Furnace to help the Sect Leader forge swords, or else she wandered among the peaks. Besides the main peak, Divine Embroidery Mountain, the sect also had several other peaks, including Treasure Record Mountain, Colorful Cloud Peak, and Immortal Herb Mountain. The latter three, they later learned, were leased from someone for three hundred years and didn’t truly belong to the Dragon Spring Sword Sect.
Besides wandering alone among the mountains and waters, Ruan Xiu also kept a yard full of old hens and fluffy chicks. Occasionally, she would stand at a distance, watching the Golden Core disciple explain cultivation steps in detail, teach the Dragon Spring Sword Sect’s unique breathing techniques, and break down a set of superior sword techniques said to be from Wind Snow Temple. Senior Sister Ruan Xiu never approached anyone. She would hold a piece of cloth in one hand, piled high with a small mountain of pastries, and eat them slowly. She’d open the cloth when she arrived and leave when she finished.
Some sharp disciples noticed that after Senior Sister left, the second senior brother, who was already a Golden Core Earth Immortal, would breathe a slight sigh of relief.
Besides Senior Sister Ruan Xiu, there were the second senior brother, who was nearly a half-father to them, the third senior sister, who lived alone by the Dragon Whisker River, and the fourth senior brother, Xie Ling, a young man with naturally long eyebrows. Fourth senior brother never had a good look for his juniors. But it was this long-browed Xie who was responsible for the Dragon Spring Sword Sect’s precepts. At first, some younger disciples complained about his excessive strictness and coldness, lacking any sense of brotherhood. But later, a rumor from the small town made everyone feel struck by lightning.
Fourth senior brother, whose ancestral home was on Peach Leaf Lane, had a living elder—a Daoist Heavenly Lord from Northern Juzhou.
A twelfth-realm immortal.
Before coming up the mountain, only a few of the twelve knew that Earth Immortals were divided into Golden Core and Nascent Soul.
As for what came after Nascent Soul, no one had heard. They mistakenly believed that was the peak of a Qi Practitioner.
After arriving, the second senior brother, a core disciple of Ruan Qiong and a taciturn Golden Core Earth Immortal, roughly explained the realm divisions of Qi Practitioners. They learned about the upper fifth realm, the Jade Purity Realm, and the Immortal Realm.
After that, except for a few naive or extremely carefree children, everyone else almost dared not breathe in the presence of the fourth senior brother, who liked to lecture with a stern face.
Fourth senior brother only smiled when he saw Senior Sister Ruan Xiu, and he was the only one who didn’t call her Senior Sister, instead calling her "Xiu Xiu Jie."
But Ruan Xiu didn’t seem particularly close to him either.
This made many of the younger newcomers feel a little better.
After all, no one was favored by Senior Sister, so there was no need to feel left out.
One day, Ruan Qiong appeared again, said two things briefly, and returned to the Sword Furnace.
First, anyone who became a formal disciple would have a sword personally forged for them by Ruan Qiong.
Ruan Qiong was indisputably the best sword-forger in Bottle Gourd Continent, so this was a huge motivator, even for those who were initially indifferent.
Second, the Dragon Spring Sword Sect had now purchased new peaks. He encouraged them, saying that in the future, anyone who broke through to Nascent Soul would be qualified to hold an Opening Peak Ceremony at the Dragon Spring Sword Sect and claim a mountain as their own. Moreover, the first disciple to reach Earth Immortal, as per a prior agreement, Dong Gu would be granted an exception to open a peak first. The Dragon Spring Sword Sect would announce this to the world.
But Dong Gu declined, begging his master to allow him to open a peak only after he reached Nascent Soul, to be fully legitimate.
Ruan Qiong agreed.
The third senior sister, whom the younger disciples called "Third Senior Sister," Xu Xiaoqiao, once again prepared to descend the mountain. She was going to the shop by the Dragon Whisker River, the sect’s foundational site. Ruan Xiu, for the first time, decided to accompany her, surprising Xu Xiaoqiao.
The fourth senior brother, Xie Ling, wanted to follow them, but Ruan Xiu just looked at him without speaking. Xie Ling backed off and obediently stayed on the mountain.
As they walked down the mountain on foot, Ruan Xiu asked, "Actually, you were my father’s first direct disciple. Just because Dong Gu formed his Golden Core first, you’re now being called ‘Third Senior Sister.’ Does it bother you?"
Xu Xiaoqiao, who had once been expelled from Wind Snow Temple, answered honestly, "It does hurt, but I have no objection to Dong Gu being the second senior brother."
Ruan Xiu said nothing.
Xu Xiaoqiao, who had lost her right thumb—her sword hand—was silent for a moment before asking, "Senior Sister, will I ever really be able to reach the Nascent Soul Realm?"
Ruan Xiu admitted frankly, "It’s quite difficult. Compared to Dong Gu, who will definitely reach Nascent Soul within a hundred years, you have many variables. Forming your Golden Core will be somewhat easier for him, and my father will help you; he won’t favor Dong Gu and neglect you. But to reach Nascent Soul, it will be much harder for you than for Dong Gu."
Xu Xiaoqiao’s expression darkened.
For most immortals, becoming a Golden Core cultivator was already a stroke of incredible luck, a cause for celebration.
But in this Dragon Spring Sword Sect, having seen the heights of Wind Snow Temple’s peak, Xu Xiaoqiao felt that a Golden Core cultivator was far from enough.
Unexpectedly, Ruan Xiu added insult to injury. "As for your junior brother Xie Ling, he will be the first disciple of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect to reach the Jade Purity Realm. If you feel jealous of him now, I think you’ll only get more jealous for the rest of your life."
Xu Xiaoqiao bit her lip, her steps heavy.
Dong Gu, the lowest-born of Ruan Qiong’s three founding disciples—a spirit beast born in the forest—had now become the highly respected second senior brother and Golden Core Earth Immortal.
Xie Ling, a native of the town, the youngest, had experienced no hardship at all. Yet he was the most blessed. Not only was his family’s ancestor a Daoist Heavenly Lord, but he had even been personally gifted an exquisite pagoda, rivaling an immortal weapon, by a Daoist patriarch with a transcendent status.
Only she, Xu Xiaoqiao, had the most difficult life, cultivated the hardest, and had the most uneven path!
Ruan Xiu snapped a twig by the mountain path and held it casually, walking slowly. "Feeling that comparing people only drives you mad?"
Xu Xiaoqiao’s eyes turned red.
Ruan Xiu suddenly spoke, smiling gently. "Although you may never catch up to Xie Ling and Dong Gu, even to the day your golden body decays completely and you die of old age, I still like you a little more. But that doesn’t seem to help your cultivation at all."
Xu Xiaoqiao turned away, wiping the corner of her eye with the back of her hand. Then she turned back to Ruan Xiu and smiled. "Senior Sister, thank you."
Ruan Xiu stopped and nodded. "Thank me? Next time you come up the mountain, remember to bring me some pastries. That shop on Riding Dragon Lane—you know it."
Xu Xiaoqiao was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly beamed. "My Senior Sister!"
Ruan Xiu smiled with her.
She only accompanied Xu Xiaoqiao to the foot of the mountain. Under the archway inscribed "Dragon Spring Sword Sect," bestowed by the Great Li emperor—or more precisely, the late emperor—Xu Xiaoqiao bid farewell. Then she activated her vital energy, stepped onto her flying sword, and soared away.
In Dragon Spring County, this was a privilege only disciples of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect enjoyed.
If any other Earth Immortal dared to fly, Ruan Qiong would not discuss sage-like forbearance.
The earliest groups of Great Li cultivators who tried to test him, and later the sword cultivator Cao Jun, had all learned the consequences: death or injury.
Ruan Xiu stood at the mountain’s foot, looking up at the archway. Her father disliked the addition of "Dragon Spring" to the sect’s name. Xu Xiaoqiao and the other two founding disciples all knew it well. Her father hoped that one day, one of them would be able to remove "Dragon Spring," leaving only "Sword Sect" standing at the peak of Bottle Gourd Continent’s mountains. That person would then become the next Sect Leader.
Ruan Xiu believed she understood her father’s heart. But every time he privately urged her to cultivate more seriously, she would nod, but her mind would be filled with thoughts of pastries and braised pork with bamboo shoots.
It made her feel a little guilty.
So she set aside the idea of talking to her father about improving the younger disciples’ meals or adding an extra meat dish.
Poor junior brothers and sisters—they had lost their chance.
As the self-proclaimed inept senior sister, she really wasn’t doing a good enough job.
As Ruan Xiu, full of regret, turned to ascend the mountain,
Ruan Qiong silently left Divine Embroidery Mountain and arrived at the Dragon Spring County’s Governor’s Office.
Governor Wu Yuan had been waiting for him. Without any formalities, he directly laid out an official matter.
Recently, within Great Li’s borders, some mountain forces suspected of being instigated by other states had been stirring restlessly.
Especially since the beginning of this year, there had been three major conflicts alone. Among them, seven Sticky Pole Boys had died, infuriating the court.
After learning the details of the clashes and the Great Li court’s intentions, Ruan Qiong thought for a moment. "I’ll have Xiu Xiu, Dong Gu, and Xu Xiaoqiao go and follow the orders of the person in charge from your Great Li court."
Wu Yuan was clearly surprised and troubled. "Miss Xiu Xiu also has to leave Dragon Spring County?"
In fact, Ruan Qiong and the Great Li Song family had long had a secret pact, with clearly defined duties and rewards, all written in black and white.
But over the years, the Great Li court had been "giving" without any "taking." Even now, the Ministry of Rites, in a secret letter sent by flying sword, had instructed that if Sage Ruan was willing to send only Dong Gu, the Golden Core Earth Immortal, that would show enough sincerity. They absolutely must not make excessive demands. Wu Yuan naturally dared not act on his own.
So when he learned that Ruan Xiu would also be participating, Wu Yuan felt it was inappropriate, both rationally and emotionally.
Knowing why Wu Yuan and the court were troubled, Ruan Qiong smiled. "Don’t worry. I’ll instruct Xiu Xiu that during this trip, she should try not to take action. And even if any accident occurs, I won’t take it out on your Great Li."
Wu Yuan still dared not agree. Words were words, but he couldn’t take them at face value. If even a minor mishap occurred, the cordial relations between the Great Li court and the Dragon Spring Sword Sect would suffer. So much effort from the Song family would be wasted. In the entire Great Li, only his teacher, Cui Chan, could bear that responsibility.
Wu Yuan therefore did not prevaricate and said he must report to the Ministry of Rites.
Ruan Qiong nodded. "Alright. Just give me the Governor’s reply as soon as possible."
Then Ruan Qiong asked, "I want to select a few people from among the Lu clan’s exiled convicts to be registered disciples of the Sword Sect. You can report this to the court at the same time. See if they agree. In case of conflicts with those Sticky Pole Boys, it would be good for you to be mentally prepared."
Wu Yuan smiled bitterly. "Okay."
With official business done, Ruan Qiong came and went swiftly, without any delay.
Leaving the frowning Governor Wu pondering how to phrase these two matters in his report to the court.
The Great Li court, under State Preceptor Cui Chan, had established a highly secret underground organization. All its members were called Sticky Pole Boys. Whenever they were dispatched from the capital, they would go in groups of three: one person from the Imperial Observatory, one from the Physiognomy School, and one from the Yin-Yang School of Necromancers. Their duty was to scour the regions for outstanding cultivation material—fine jade and beautiful gems.
Once a Sticky Pole Boy took a fancy to someone, even if a Qi Practitioner had already chosen that person but hadn’t yet brought them up the mountain, the Sticky Pole Boy’s choice took precedence.
This was probably the origin of the name "Sticky Pole Boys."
After Cui Chan became State Preceptor and Great Li’s power flourished, there had been conflicts over this practice in history, but after a few times, the registered immortal masters and wild cultivators of Great Li stopped resisting. The embroidered tiger, Cui Chan, had backed the Sticky Pole Boys without exception every time.
In one case, an immortal manor with a Nascent Soul Cultivator and an old Golden Core cultivator had been testing a young man at the foot of the mountain for six years, meticulously polishing this uncut jade, intending to take him as a core disciple to inherit his legacy. But a passing Sticky Pole Boy discovered the seedling was exceptional. The old Golden Core cultivator encountered the unreasonable Sticky Pole Boys and gnashed his teeth in anger. He even offered a large sum of immortal money. But the Sticky Pole Boys insisted on taking the young man away.
The dispute escalated into a fierce battle, resulting in two Sticky Pole Boys being killed on the spot, and one escaped.
Logically, the old Golden Core cultivator’s actions were reasonable, and he had already shown enough respect to the Great Li court. Moreover, his mountain was one of Great Li’s few immortal caves.
Yet, in the end, six thousand Great Li iron cavalry surrounded the mountain. Nearly a hundred Martial Secretary Gentlemen, several hundred extremely rare and expensive Mohist mechanisms, and over a hundred Qi Practitioners and pure martial artists recruited by the Ministry of Justice were mobilized.
Euphemistically called a "military exercise"!
The battle was fierce. Great Li even deployed its Northern Mountain God.
Finally, that mountain, once the largest immortal sect on Great Li’s northern border, was effectively decapitated, losing half its height and strength, becoming a second-rate power at the bottom. The Nascent Soul patriarch was killed. The old Golden Core cultivator was beheaded by a Great Li general, and his dry, staring head was carried around by a sword cultivator to various mountain peaks as a warning.
After that, the arrogant immortals within Great Li’s borders became much more restrained. Even some previously haughty forces that had long relied on the Great Li court began to instruct their core disciples.
It was said that after the battle, the State Preceptor, the embroidered tiger, who rarely left the capital, appeared on the summit of that mountain. But he didn’t slaughter the remaining "rebels." Instead, he had a stone tablet erected, saying it would be useful later.
Today, that stone tablet on the summit remains blank, without any inscription. It’s unclear whether the State Preceptor has forgotten about this old matter or if the time hasn’t come yet.
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At the summit of a tall mountain in northern Great Li, where an immortal manor had been rooted for many years, an old man in Confucian robes stood beside a blank, uninscribed stone tablet. He placed his hand on the tablet and turned to look southward.
On the summit, there was only the old man, no one else.
The elders of the immortal sect who had experienced the bloody massacre all those years ago were gathered anxiously not far from the peak.
As for the younger disciples who had joined later, they had been sternly ordered not to leave their residences. Anyone who dared to move without permission would have their Bridge of Longevity broken directly and be thrown down the mountain!
The elders of this once overwhelmingly superior immortal sect in northern Great Li looked at each other now, seeing the fear and helplessness in each other’s eyes. They feared that the Great Li State Preceptor, without any warning, would issue an order for a final reckoning, uprooting the mountain that had barely recovered its vitality.
But the expressionless embroidered tiger, Cui Chan, suddenly smiled wryly. "You, Chen Ping'an, like to talk reason, don’t you? This time, let’s see if you still can."