Chapter 499: Living Water from the Source Enters the Heartfield

Chapter 499: Living Water from the Source Enters the Heartfield

Jiang Shangzhen quickly wiped his mouth, saying bitterly, "Even here within this immortal mansion ruin, it's not appropriate to directly call out a sage's name."

Chen Ping'an laughed. "With some grudges, cursing a few more times or a few less times doesn't change anything."

"Chen Ping'an, tell me something from the bottom of your heart."

Jiang Shangzhen blinked, shifted his seat, and pointed upward. "That one—does he absolutely want to kill you?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "It's not that exaggerated. The old debts have been mostly settled. A person as big as him, in charge of an entire world’s living beings, doesn't have that much free time to bother with me. But he certainly doesn't look kindly upon me, that's for sure. So whether I'll travel to the Azure Essence World in the future, I'm very hesitant."

Chen Ping'an wanted to traverse all nine provinces of the Grand Harmony World, as well as the other three worlds.

Only then did Jiang Shangzhen sit back down on the railing. If Lu Chen was adamant about targeting Chen Ping'an, then he would obediently scurry back to the Bamboo Slips Lake in Vase Bottle Continent and become a turtledove hiding its head. The water there was deep enough anyway. If not a turtle or a croc, then what, was he supposed to be a bird flying out of the woods? Old Man Xun had nagged him ten thousand times already: once at Bamboo Slips Lake, quickly adapt to local customs, become a local snake, don't think of yourself as some cross-river dragon.

Chen Ping'an said, "I know there are some things you won't get involved in. So just tell me what you can say?"

Jiang Shangzhen took a sip of wine and nodded. "Gao Cheng's ambition is enormous, the kind that could scare people to death. He actually wants to create a Fengdu Netherworld in Ghost Fiend Valley, a realm between the world of the living and the dead, where the cycle of life and death takes place. If he succeeds, there are two huge benefits. First, it will reverse the feng shui of Ghost Fiend Valley, elevating it into a wonderland akin to a complete cave-heaven or blessed land, no longer just a small world. With the ways of heaven, earth, and man all complete, it will truly give birth to the grand atmosphere of sunrises and sunsets, the order of the four seasons, and the cycle of solar terms. Gao Cheng himself would become the veritable Lord of Heaven here, surpassing all the saints who preside over small worlds. He might even ascend in one step, directly crossing from the Jade Abyss realm through the Immortal realm to the Ascension realm. At that point, Gao Cheng would become... similar to those few rare and bizarre existences in the world, attaining true great freedom, breaking free from the cage of heaven and earth. Those who could kill him would likely not act because they see too far and too high; those who truly want to kill him would be unable to do so."

Jiang Shangzhen continued, "Furthermore, in any future battles or slaughters, even if firmly suppressed within Ghost Fiend Valley by the Sackcloth Sect, Gao Cheng and Skull City would be in an invincible position. In fact, every time a Sackcloth Sect cultivator dies in battle, it would add one more layer of foundation to Ghost Fiend Valley. If something goes wrong at the Wood Garment Mountain Ancestral Hall side, and Gao Cheng is accidentally allowed to lead his army out of Skeleton Beach, affecting the dynasties and vassals along the Swinging River to the north, then even if the Sackcloth Sect, with its fewer than two hundred cultivators, joins forces with several sect-level immortal families to the south, they wouldn't gain any advantage."

Jiang Shangzhen twisted the neck of the wine flask between two fingers, gently swirling it, and said slowly, "So, this move by Gao Cheng is a huge taboo. But for Gao Cheng to have risen from an obscure common soldier to where he is today, he's certainly no fool. He acts with great restraint, step by step. My guess is that within a hundred years, he will be extremely controlled, stopping after devouring the Sackcloth Sect and encompassing the territory of Skeleton Beach. Then, over the next thousand years, he will befriend distant states while attacking those nearby, maneuvering horizontally and vertically, striving to annex another sect-level immortal family. He'll take his time, and Skull City will become more and more legitimate with each passing day. What the Confucian Academy will do is hard to say. They have too many rules and often fight amongst themselves. As time goes on, many situations will become fait accompli."

"Therefore, in the meantime, the forces that will truly fight Gao Cheng to the death are only two: the Sackcloth Sect, which is stubborn from top to bottom, and the bald donkeys of the Buddhist sect. After all, for someone to create a Fengdu in the human world and arbitrarily open the Six Paths of Reincarnation is something the Buddhists absolutely do not want to see. As for the Daoists of North Ju Continent, the Chongxuan Office's Cloud Palace Yang Clan, and Celestial Lord Xie Shi, they may not necessarily detest Gao Cheng's actions. The former will probably sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, letting Gao Cheng and the Buddhist forces of North Ju Continent wear each other down—especially the latter. As for the reason, you probably already know, so I won't go into detail."

Jiang Shangzhen laughed. "That shout of 'Leave the flying sword behind!' was Gao Cheng himself."

Chen Ping'an sighed, looked down at the Gourd of Nurturing Swords, and recalled a previous detail. "I understand now. This was like a child carrying gold through the market, only to bump right into Skull City's Gao Cheng. No wonder he was so furious. If the Wood Garment Mountain Ancestral Hall hadn't activated its mountain-guarding grand formation, I suspect even if I had escaped Ghost Fiend Valley, I wouldn't have been able to leave Skeleton Beach alive."

Jiang Shangzhen waved his hand. "Child, what child? You don't need to think so little of yourself. It'd be more accurate to say 'a commoner nursing a jade.'"

Chen Ping'an asked, "What do you think Gao Cheng plans to do now?"

Jiang Shangzhen laughed. "He's probably in Skull City making straw effigies. Once a karmic opportunity slips by, trying to grasp it again is harder than reaching the heavens. It's hard to explain such things with logic, but people on the mountain have to believe it, the older they get, the more they believe. So you don't need to worry too much now. Survive a great disaster, and good fortune follows."

Chen Ping'an smiled bitterly. "I don't even dare leave Wood Garment Mountain now, let alone cross Skeleton Beach to head north. Heaven knows if Gao Cheng might sneak out of Ghost Fiend Valley and stab me in the back."

Jiang Shangzhen was about to explain something.

Chen Ping'an suddenly looked into the distance, his eyes dark. "If I were Gao Cheng, as long as Chen Ping'an still dared to travel in Ju Continent, he would definitely die."

Jiang Shangzhen found himself momentarily speechless.

Saying too much, urging Chen Ping'an to continue traveling in Ju Continent, would make it seem like he had ulterior motives.

Chen Ping'an turned his head and smiled. "Jiang Shangzhen, why did you go out of your way in Ghost Fiend Valley to deliberately make an enemy of Gao Cheng? If I'm not mistaken, according to what you said, since Gao Cheng has such a 'hegemon's heart,' he would be very likely to do business with you and the Jade Gui Sect, which would allow you to become a favored guest of Skull City."

Jiang Shangzhen smiled faintly. "That was probably me acting on impulse. I hate it most when I see women being bullied, and I find Pu Rang's kind of hair-raising grand pronouncements most intolerable."

Chen Ping'an handed over the wine flask. Jiang Shangzhen clinked his own flask against it, and they each took a drink.

Jiang Shangzhen suddenly asked, "What do you think of Zhu Quan as a person? And Pu Rang? And this Sackcloth Sect—what's its temperament like?"

Chen Ping'an said, "My heart yearns for them."

Jiang Shangzhen nodded. "If—I mean if—you continue to travel in North Ju Continent, you must be careful. This place does have people like Zhu Quan and Pu Rang. But it also has people who seem exactly like Zhu Quan and Pu Rang on the surface but are actually much slicker and more vicious than even me, Jiang Shangzhen."

Jiang Shangzhen drank slowly. "I've suffered two biggest losses in North Ju Continent. One of them was like this: I almost lost my life and was still counting money for someone else. Then when I turned around, I found that the one who stabbed me was the closest friend I had in North Ju Continent. That terrible feeling, which I still remember vividly... very humiliating. The first thought that flashed through my mind wasn't despair or anger, but 'Did I do something wrong, friend, for you to act this way?'"

Chen Ping'an said, "I'll be careful."

Jiang Shangzhen sighed, his face miserable and pitiful. "If I had known earlier that you had a grudge with that one, I would never have come on this trip to Ghost Fiend Valley. Why did I even come?"

Chen Ping'an felt like laughing, but thought it would be too unkind, so he quickly took a drink, swallowing the laughter and the wine together.

Jiang Shangzhen shook his head, remembering something. "Let me tell you some bad news. That Cloud Palace's innate Dao seed, Yang Ningxing—the malignant thought seed he finally left behind using the 'Beheading the Three Corpses' method. That scholar may have been humiliated at every turn by you, but he didn't slack off on his real business. The old Daoist from Little Xuan Du Temple probably helped protect him on his path. In the end, he also got that pair of rather valuable golden Loach-Moths from the Old Dragon's Grotto, raised by Old Softshell for a thousand years, and they had lived for at least a thousand years before that. It's not a small opportunity. Don't think it's nothing. If I, Jiang Shangzhen, say something is 'rather valuable,' it really is valuable. Look at this kid's fortune—it's at its peak. If you leave Ghost Fiend Valley, and she's no longer here, and you continue your solitary journey north into the Dayuan Dynasty, and you run into that scholar again, dealing with him will be even more troublesome."

Chen Ping'an said, "Compared to Skull City's Gao Cheng, these are nothing."

Chen Ping'an suddenly asked, "How did you know about Yang Ningxing's background? How many years has it been since you last came to North Ju Continent?"

Jiang Shangzhen laughed heartily. "Chen Ping'an, do you know how many confidantes I have here in North Ju Continent? Almost every hundred years, one or two come to my Jade Gui Sect to 'reminisce' with me under various pretexts. There was even one who specially traveled all the way to Cloud Chasm Blessed Land. There's no greater hardship for a man than repaying the kindness of beautiful women. So I know everything about North Ju Continent."

Chen Ping'an glanced sideways at him. "Being liked by many women is certainly a skill. But a man who can focus his heart on one person—that's true skill."

Jiang Shangzhen waved his hand. "Different paths, no common goals. The only thing in this world that I, Jiang Shangzhen, can be single-mindedly devoted to, for my entire life, is spending money."

Chen Ping'an, thinking back on this trip to Ghost Fiend Valley—how he had risked his life scrambling around to pick up leftovers, earning money with his life on the line worse than any wild rogue cultivator—and then you, Jiang Shangzhen, talk to me about this?

Chen Ping'an remembered something and took out the Hundred-Eyed Gluttony Dharma Robe he had stripped from Yang Ningxing from his arm's-reach object. The "old Daoist from Little Xuan Du Temple protecting his path" that Jiang Shangzhen mentioned probably referred to that strange shift in Yang Ningxing's gaze right before he withdrew his mind back on the iron chain bridge at the cliff edge. Chen Ping'an had found it odd at the time and guessed that Yang Ningxing had sensed the old Daoist's presence. He had probably felt uncertain about fortune or misfortune then, not sure whether the old Daoist's intentions were good or evil.

Jiang Shangzhen glanced at the Dharma robe and nodded, apparently finding it passable in his eyes. He slowly said, "For now, it's slightly better in quality than the azure robe you're wearing. But its foundation is infinitely better. This black, ugly robe—ugly as it is—is capable of growth, like grass and trees in the world growing when watered by sweet rain. That places it among the most valuable batch of spiritual artifacts. The one you wore back then in Tung Leaf Continent, and the sword Su Youbian held, were the same. But each has its own level, just like cultivators ascending realms. Some are destined to crawl as far as the Golden Core like a turtle, while others can reach Nascent Soul or even the Upper Five Realms. Among the three, that pure white Dharma robe you had back then had the greatest potential, bordering on a half-immortal weapon. Su Youbian's sword was next, with a chance to become a good half-immortal weapon. This robe you've taken—at best, it might become a half-immortal weapon, and even then, it would be slow and costly."

An unexpected joy.

He had thought this robe was about the same as the Spring Grass robe and the Snowflake robe. He never imagined it could still increase in rank.

Wearing this in the future, with a masked face, he'd probably be much more effective as a wild cultivator.

Chen Ping'an took out the three talismans from the robe's sleeve and laughed. "I can only tell they're secret talismans from the Cloud Palace. I recognize the seal script, but I have no idea about their true origins, specific uses, or power. Could you appraise them? About how much are they worth?"

Jiang Shangzhen took the three golden Cloud Palace talismans. "Azure Sky Palace Talisman, a branch of the Mountain Peak Talisman. It's one of the Chongxuan Office's specialties. The Jade Purity Light Talisman has a strong aura and a wide area, but its killing power is average. It's good for scaring people. This last one, the Cloud Palace Execution Divination Talisman, is the real deal. The talisman's core contains four points of divine radiance. Even I find it somewhat tempting. However, good talismans aren't usable by just anyone. They require a specific 'door-opening' secret technique. This Execution Divination Talisman, especially, is a closely guarded secret of the Cloud Palace's Yang Clan. Coincidentally, I once had a female Daoist sister from the Cloud Palace, and of course, our bond was stronger than metal—we had mutual 'openness' day and night..."

Jiang Shangzhen suddenly turned his head, his expression strange.

Chen Ping'an didn't take them back but took a small sip of wine. "I know these three talismans still can't compare in value to your net. Consider it better than nothing."

Jiang Shangzhen slapped the three talismans onto the railing and laughed heartily. "Forget it, take them back. I, Jiang Shangzhen, earn and spend money without any worldly constraints! The true nature of a hero—I'm not one bit inferior to that Bonehead Pu."

Chen Ping'an turned to look at Jiang Shangzhen. "Really don't want them? I've shown you my utmost sincerity. I'm not as wealthy as you, Jiang Shangzhen. I'm always wanting to split every copper coin in two."

Jiang Shangzhen lamented, "Heaven knows my heart."

Chen Ping'an snatched back the three talismans with lightning speed, storing them along with the Dharma robe back into his arm's-reach object. He smiled slightly. "Then be a good man to the end and tell me in detail the door-opening incantations for these talismans."

Jiang Shangzhen showed no displeasure; in fact, his smile grew even warmer. He meticulously informed Chen Ping'an of the talisman-opening techniques through ripples in his heart lake.

Chen Ping'an then took out a golden lightning whip, about an arm's length, excavated from Accumulation Thunder Mountain. "What is the quality and value of this item?"

Jiang Shangzhen said, "It's the visible manifestation of a lightning pool's overflow veins, suitable for refining into a Demon-Exorcising Whip. Along with the Demon-Exorcising Whip made from Green Spirit Mountain bamboo, they are known as the two ultimate items under heaven, naturally overpowering spirits and ghosts that achieve Dao underground. However, it also depends on the quality of the lightning pool and the Green Spirit Mountain bamboo itself. The Accumulation Thunder Mountain lightning pool is a bit inferior. If it were the one from Inverted Suspension Mountain, this item in your hand would be a natural Dharma treasure without needing refinement. As it is, it's just a top-grade natural spiritual artifact. Moreover, the item is still a bit small. If it were me, I wouldn't even bother bending down to pick it up from the ground."

Chen Ping'an had a general idea. He could refine that longest lightning pool vein golden whip into a walking staff, use it himself for a while, and later, upon returning to Vase Bottle Continent, give it to his first disciple. Golden and shiny—it would please the eyes. If the master liked it, how could the disciple not?

Jiang Shangzhen asked with a sly smile, "Do you have any other items you've recently acquired here in Ghost Fiend Valley? Show them all to me, and I'll help you appraise them?"

After a moment of hesitation, Chen Ping'an took out the few spring-painting scrolls that the Summer Retreat Goddess had treasured and hung on her boudoir wall, handing them to Jiang Shangzhen.

Jiang Shangzhen's expression was initially playful, but when he saw the painting filled with annotations on Daoist couple cultivation, he nodded. "This counts as a sort of heterodox path. An ordinary Earth Immortal cultivator skilled in dual cultivation methods could use this as one of the foundations for founding a sect, helping Lower Five Realm cultivators break into the Middle Five Realm. It's a convenient method. So this one is worth a bit. The others, in the dead of night when you can't sleep alone, are just for a bit of amusement..."

Chen Ping'an asked in surprise, "This one is so precious?"

Jiang Shangzhen nodded. "That Moon Palace Seedling was just short-sighted. They couldn't find the door and miss a Daoist opportunity right before their eyes. This spring painting is a copy of one of the twelve 'Mountain Daoist Couple Seeking Immortal' paintings. It should be the work of a renegade cultivator from that Enchantment Sect in the Central Earth Divine Continent. If you meet someone who knows its value, selling it for twenty or thirty Grain Rain coins would be easy."

At this point, Jiang Shangzhen sighed deeply in his heart.

That He Xiaoliang. Truly a formidable character. Her karmic fortune was deeply terrifying.

So, although Jiang Shangzhen was somewhat interested in this not-so-expensive mountain painting, he didn't dare to ask Chen Ping'an for it or buy it.

Chen Ping'an put away the scrolls and fell silent.

Jiang Shangzhen began to change the subject. "Do you know that in the Azure Essence World, there is a real Xuan Du Temple?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "I've never heard of it."

Jiang Shangzhen revealed a rare look of longing. Finishing his wine, he casually tossed the flask into the distance. "That is truly a celestial mansion cave. The old temple master possesses a Peach Tree Cave Heaven and is extremely skilled in Dao magic, revered as one of the Earth Ancestors."

Chen Ping'an asked, "And the Little Xuan Du Temple in that peach grove within Ghost Fiend Valley?"

Jiang Shangzhen lowered his voice and chuckled. "It's equivalent to Xuan Du Temple's branch sect left behind in the Grand Harmony World. But it's a bit illegitimate. I'm not too clear on the specific lineage. Back then, I was in a hurry to travel to northern Ju Continent, so I didn't enter Ghost Fiend Valley. After all, the Sackcloth Sect doesn't have any world-toppling beauties. If Zhu Quan had been a bit prettier, I definitely would have made a trip to Ghost Fiend Valley."

Chen Ping'an glanced at the "Heavenly Gate Sea of Clouds" bordering Wood Garment Mountain and this place. It had been silent for a long time, but he felt the female sect leader hadn't given up but was brewing a final strike.

Jiang Shangzhen continued, "Little Xuan Du Temple isn't much of a feast. But that Great Full Moon Temple is no simple thing. That old monk, even before Skeleton Beach appeared, was already a renowned eminent monk across the continent. His Buddhist teachings are profound. Legend has it he was a Buddha child who lost a debate on the Three Teachings and confined himself within a temple, drawing a circle as his prison. And that Pu Bonehead... hahaha, that Pu Rang you admire so much, Chen Ping'an, is actually..."

Jiang Shangzhen doubled over with laughter, almost crying tears. "Is actually a woman! I paid a lot of money to buy this secret. Even the whole Sackcloth Sect might not know. Inside Ghost Fiend Valley, only Gao Cheng is likely aware of it."

Chen Ping-an said disdainfully, "What's wrong with a female sword immortal?"

Jiang Shangzhen barely stopped laughing and said with emotion, "Too bad she fell in love with a monk. That's quite a headache."

Chen Ping'an's face was full of surprise as he asked quietly, "The old monk from Great Full Moon Temple?"

Jiang Shangzhen nodded. "That's why Pu Rang died on the battlefield, desperately protecting that temple from any war disaster. But the cause and effect in this world are so mysterious. If she hadn't died, the old monk might have long attained Bodhisattvahood. Who can clearly say what's right or wrong, gain or loss in all this?"

Chen Ping'an felt a flash of understanding.

Through Jiang Shangzhen's words, the reason why the old monk had said those four words earlier, and that long thread of context, had surfaced. With Pu Rang added, it became even clearer.

Jiang Shangzhen suddenly said, "There's a problem with your state of mind. If it were just sensing a crisis, based on your usual style, Chen Ping'an, you would have been more decisive. On that last trip to Copper Stench City, even I, an outsider, could tell you were acting very wrong."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "The living water from the source isn't clear enough; the heart field naturally becomes muddy."

Jiang Shangzhen laughed. "That's no small matter."

Chen Ping'an said, "I'll take it slowly."

Jiang Shangzhen asked, "Still planning to risk traveling north in Ju Continent?"

Chen Ping'an said, "In matters, it's good to take a step back in thought. But when walking on two feet, one must still face difficulties head-on."

Jiang Shangzhen said nothing more.

Chen Ping'an asked, "The Xuan Du Temple has a Peach Tree Cave Heaven, and you have a Cloud Chasm Blessed Land. Is managing them very laborious and taxing on the mind?"

Jiang Shangzhen clasped his hands behind his head. "If you get into the nitty-gritty, there are truly endless problems and endless difficult tasks."

Chen Ping'an hummed in acknowledgment, gazing into the distance.

Jiang Shangzhen crossed one leg. "After the eight mural goddesses left, this place became a rather low-quality cave heaven or blessed land. But for the Sackcloth Sect, it's already a territory of utmost importance. Manage it well, and it's like gaining an extra Jade Abyss realm cultivator. Manage it poorly, and it could delay one or two Nascent Soul cultivators. Ultimately, it depends on Zhu Quan's methods. After all, all cave heavens, blessed lands, and secret realms, large or small, if you truly want to nurture them properly, are bottomless pits that eat even more silver than a sword cultivator. You might end up owning one someday, Chen Ping'an. Remember this: when that day comes, never, ever act like a living Bodhisattva saving the suffering, or a good deed will turn into a disaster. In business, be businesslike; recognize money, not people—these things are inevitable. Take my Cloud Chasm Blessed Land. At its peak, there were fifty million ants. When the bamboo grove experienced a once-in-a-millennium great year, and bamboo shoots sprang up after a spring rain, Earth Immortals appeared en masse. I got carried away. I went down for a tour and almost died inside. In a fit of rage, I reaped a huge harvest, and that's how I got my current family fortune."

Chen Ping'an remained noncommittal.

Jiang Shangzhen began gathering his Dharma treasures, slowly putting everything he had used to seal the eight mural doorways into his sleeve.

Only the Cloud Sea Gate remained, unmoving. Jiang Shangzhen wanted to see Zhu Quan's final strike, as his farewell gift upon leaving North Ju Continent.

Chen Ping'an said, "If one day I truly consider you a friend, wouldn't that be terrifying?"

Jiang Shangzhen laughed. "Feel it goes against your true heart? Changed too much? Maybe it's a bad thing for you, Chen Ping'an. This is probably the pros and cons of different paths. I, Jiang Shangzhen, seek change and flow. I just need an anchor in my heart sinking to the bottom of the lake; I can let the wind and rain beat down, let the waves be perilous—no need to mind the surface's turbulence. So my Dao cultivation has been quite comfortable along the way. Besides, I've lived long enough, seen all sorts of people and events, so I'm more and more adept at dealing with them. You, Chen Ping'an, seem to seek stillness. You're still young, so seeing goodness here and evil there, you feel you need to be cautious, which ties you up in knots everywhere. Naturally, cultivation is very difficult. Conversely, as long as you hold fast, every time is a sharpening, a benefit for you. Neither path is superior or inferior, good or bad—just different karmic methods. It's not just you and me. The same goes for others: Gao Cheng, Zhu Quan, the old monk, the old Daoist. I've always felt that in the practice of the Dao, the road itself has no high or low status. I've never really believed in 'dead-end roads.'"

Chen Ping'an smiled. "From beginning to end, these words of yours are worth ten thousand gold."

Jiang Shangzhen was quite pleased. His expression changed as he smiled again. "And Su Youbian?"

Chen Ping'an looked puzzled.

Jiang Shangzhen's face was strange. He extended both hands in fists and wiggled his thumbs. "Nothing at all?"

Chen Ping'an rolled his eyes, too lazy to waste a single word.

Jiang Shangzhen shook his head. "You're wasting a gift from heaven!"

With a loud bang, a blade light slashed out from the sea of clouds. Several colorful treasures blocking the door shattered and scattered. Jiang Shangzhen looked up and laughed heartily. "Good blade work, little Quan'er! It makes your big brother Zhou Fei's eyes dazzle and his little deer heart pound!"

Chen Ping'an glanced at the completely destroyed treasures. He would have felt heartache for Jiang Shangzhen just looking at them. Wasn't *this* wasting a gift from heaven?

"I'm off! No need to see me off, little Quan'er!"

Jiang Shangzhen stood up, swept his sleeve, and gathered the remaining treasures. At the same time, he used his lifebound item, a willow leaf, to slash open a mural city door. His entire figure transformed into a long rainbow, fleeing at lightning speed, fast enough to rival a sword immortal's flying sword.

Chen Ping'an felt some envy. If he had this kind of escape skill, going back to Ghost Fiend Valley, maybe even a trip to Skull City wouldn't be a problem?

Zhu Quan landed on the railing holding a long blade, fierce and murderous. After a moment's hesitation, she didn't pursue Jiang Shangzhen into the mural city. "Hey, Jiang! If you dare come to my Sackcloth Sect again, I'll cut off three of your legs!"

Jiang Shangzhen suddenly poked his head out from the mural door of the Inkslab Goddess. "Don't use that dharma blade. Bare hands, deal?"

Zhu Quan charged murderously after him.

It took a full half-hour before Chen Ping'an saw Zhu Quan return to this cave mansion. The female sect leader still carried a faint scent of sea breeze; she must have chased him all the way to the sea.

Zhu Quan was somewhat sullen. She sheathed her blade, sat on the railing, and extended her hand.

Chen Ping'an tossed her a flask of rice wine.

Zhu Quan tilted her head back and drank deeply, her expression sour. "Are you friends with Jiang Shangzhen?"

Chen Ping'an, face unchanged and heart steady, said with righteous indignation, "In a blessed land on Tung Leaf Continent once, we were mortal enemies. He went by Zhou Fei back then."

Zhu Quan glanced at Chen Ping'an and snorted. "Words from a man's mouth are just ghosts trying to trick people."

Chen Ping'an drank to calm his nerves.

Zhu Quan snorted again. "If you can piss in the same pot as Jiang Shangzhen, I can't see you being any good either."

Chen Ping'an just silently drank.

Zhu Quan snapped, "So you admit it?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "No."

Only then did Zhu Quan's expression soften. "If it weren't for those words about 'single-minded devotion' you said earlier—which were actually human words—I would have felt like giving you a slash right now."

Chen Ping'an smiled wryly.

Zhu Quan said, "Just head north. I'll keep a tight watch on Skull City. If Gao Cheng dares to show his head again, this time it won't just cost him a hundred years of cultivation. Don't worry. For him to slip in and out of Ghost Fiend Valley and Skeleton Beach quietly will be extremely difficult. The Sackcloth Sect's mountain-guarding grand formation will remain half-open. Unless Gao Cheng is willing to throw away half his life and drop back to at least the Nascent Soul realm, you won't be in any danger. You can even swagger right out of Skeleton Beach."

Chen Ping'an breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Zhu Quan laughed. "If I were you, I'd stand right at the memorial archway where Skeleton Beach meets Ghost Fiend Valley and curse Gao Cheng for three days and nights. The moment he shows his head, you just rely on that ancestral mountain god of our Wood Garment Mountain and run. When Gao Cheng leaves, you pop back up. Go back and forth, and piss Gao Cheng to death! Wouldn't that be satisfying? Anyway, it's our Sackcloth Sect footing the bill, and we're happy to spend that money."

Chen Ping'an said, "I think I'll just take an immortal family ferry out of Skeleton Beach. I'll get off and travel on foot after I'm a few thousand li out."

Zhu Quan glared. "You're not even as good as Jiang Shangzhen! If he'd suffered such a huge loss, the way he'd deal with Gao Cheng would be even more excessive than mine. That guy's skill at being disgusting—well, it's second to none."

Zhu Quan gave a thumbs-up. "A sect once made a mortal enemy of him. He besieged them for ten years, preventing any cultivator below Earth Immortal from going down the mountain alone. Right before he left, he gave them one last gift. Overnight, he erected seven or eight steles around the mountain's base, covered with obscene curses. He made up all sorts of lewd stories about every sect ancestor and Earth Immortal, men and women alike. The content was filthy and vulgar, but at least it showed a bit of literary flair. Those spicy little booklets are still circulating on the mountain to this day."

Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "Why would I compare myself to Jiang Shangzhen in these matters?"

Zhu Quan thought for a moment. "True. Best not to learn anything from that lecher."

Chen Ping'an felt a weight lift.

Dealing with this female sect leader was more exhausting than life-and-death duels.

---

Outside the peach grove, a cyan-robed, sword-bearing skeleton stood beside two stone tablets, not entering the grove.

An emaciated old monk in a wide kasaya appeared before it.

It was the skeleton of Pu Rang, the City Lord of White Cage City. Its voice was hoarse. "Finally dared to come see me?"

The old monk pressed his palms together, silent.

Pu Rang pressed his hand on the sword hilt. The entire sword immediately bristled with sword energy, shrouding Pu Rang like mist. In an instant.

Pu Rang still stood there in his cyan robe with his sword, but no longer a skeleton. Instead, he was... a woman of heroic spirit.

She spoke slowly. "Life in this world is full of fear, fate more precarious than morning dew. Because of love, there is worry; because of love, there is terror. Even if I don't understand Buddhist teachings well, how could I not know these things? I know it was I who delayed you in breaking that last barrier. Blame me. All these years, I deliberately walked through Ghost Fiend Valley as a skeleton, wanting you to feel guilty!"

In life, she had been so clear and refreshing. Now that she was a ghost in death, she was still resolute.

Thinking back to that first meeting, when a young monk, traveling far and wide, happened upon a country girl working in the fields. One hand held a rice seedling, the other wiped the sweat from her brow.

In the sunlight, the girl, not particularly beautiful, was not only moving but also shook the immovable Dharma in the young monk's heart.

Like a dream, like an illusion, like dew, like lightning.

Now the old monk lowered his gaze, his hands still together. He said softly, "Donor Pu, there is no need for such self-reproach. It was my own inner demon. Just focus on the great Dao, and you can attain eternal life."

Pu Rang smiled bitterly. "It's always been like this."

With that, she turned and left.

The old monk chanted a Buddhist hymn once and also turned and walked away.

At the fork in the road leading to Great Full Moon Temple and Little Xuan Du Temple.

The old Daoist appeared out of thin air, and the old monk stopped in his tracks.

The old Daoist seemed to want to ask the old neighbor a question.

The old monk had apparently already guessed it. Slowly, he said, "That young benefactor once said by the Black River, 'To attain this fruit, one must have this mind.' In truth, I also have a saying I never spoke to him: 'Having this mind, one shall attain this fruit.'"

The old Daoist asked, "Why didn't you say it?"

The old monk smiled. "Buddha is on Vulture Peak; there is no need to seek far, and even less need to seek externally."

The old Daoist shook his head and vanished in a flash.

The old monk remained where he was, bending down and reaching out as if to scoop up a handful of water. He murmured, "Hands holding seedlings, I plant them in the field full. Bowing my head, I see the sky in the water..."

---

An immortal family ferry from Skeleton Beach, instead of heading straight north, sailed southeast towards a certain coastal area.

In the night, under the lamplight, Chen Ping'an flipped through a book on military strategy.