Chapter 516: Mountains and Rivers, a Long Road Ahead
A figure in a blue robe passed through the Orchid Boudoir Kingdom, traveling northward all the while.
The Orchid Boudoir Kingdom was renowned for its precious orchids. The entire country was madly devoted to them, sparing no expense. A family's wealth was almost entirely measured by the number of priceless orchids it possessed.
Other than that, there was nothing particularly special about it. However, there were some customs that left a deep impression, such as women liking to throw coins into the river to divine fortune and misfortune. The common people, whether rich or poor, noble or humble, all delighted in the practice of releasing captive animals back into the wild. This trend swept through both the court and the countryside. Yet, it was common to see scenes where upstream people piously released animals, while downstream people caught fish and turtles. There were also the boat trackers, both strong men and women, who bared their upper bodies, letting the sun bake their backs raw, the rope marks across their skin like furrows in a drought-stricken field. In various regions, when facing floods or droughts, they liked to parade a paper Dragon King through the streets, not to pray for rain or to avoid it, but to continuously whip the paper Dragon King until it was shredded to pieces.
To the north of the Orchid Boudoir Kingdom was the Blue Shrine Kingdom. Its monarch and high ministers revered Daoism, with Daoist temples dotting the landscape like clouds. They aggressively suppressed Buddhism, and any occasional Buddhist temples found were sparsely attended and their incense burners cold.
Further north lay the Gold Leaf Kingdom, a southern vassal of the Great Seal Dynasty. The martial spirit here was exceedingly strong. Street brawls were almost a common sight, and they often drew blood. Many young and arrogant scions of wealthy families loved to draw their bows and brandish their swords, galloping off in groups on distant hunts, their arms carrying falcons and their company including courtesans, hunting in all directions as if no one else existed. The monarch of the Gold Leaf Kingdom himself came from a military background, having usurped the throne. He revered martial arts and suppressed literary studies. In the court, it was common to see high-ranking civil officials retiring from the morning audience with blackened and swollen faces, going home to nurse their injuries.
Things that would be unimaginable elsewhere were considered commonplace in the eyes of the Gold Leaf Kingdom's people. A Grand Scholar being spat on in the face, or the Minister of Rites being talked down by the Grand General's formidable fists despite spouting the wisdom of sages—these were merely topics for idle chit-chat after meals.
During this journey, he encountered a fine rain on a cliffside plank road. The curtain of rain was like a screen, the sound of the drizzle like a gentle breeze tinkling wind chimes.
A mountain woodcutter, upon encountering a rare orchid deep in the mountains, danced and waved his arms, seemingly mad with joy.
Deep in the night, insects chirped incessantly. The moonlight was like water, washing over the blue robe. Beside a campfire in the mountains, the flames flickered.
The plum rain season was about to begin.
One day, Chen Ping'an was ambling through the wilderness outside a county capital of the Gold Leaf Kingdom. Tiger attacks were rampant here, so the arrogant and chivalrous scions of the Gold Leaf Kingdom's nobility often came here to hunt. Chen Ping'an had already seen several groups of hunters, wearing sabers and carrying bows, who passed by with a whoosh. Most of them were young, often mere youths, including quite a few young women, who were heroic in bearing and skilled with bow and horse. The older attendants accompanying them were clearly seasoned soldiers from the battlefield.
A few days earlier, Chen Ping'an had personally witnessed a group of young masters from the Gold Leaf Kingdom's capital, who were drinking heavily in a Mountain God Temple. They had left their "ink treasures" haphazardly scrawled on the temple walls, and one tall, strapping youth had hoisted a painted wooden deity statue onto his shoulder, carried it out the temple gate, and thrown it to the ground, shouting that he wanted to test his strength against the Mountain God. The Mountain God and the local Earth God, who had been hiding in the distance to avoid the commotion, looked at each other in silence, sighing deeply.
At dusk, Chen Ping'an did not enter the county capital. Instead, he left the main road, crossed the mountains, and roughly followed a winding mountain path. Occasionally, he could see figures, all of whom moved with agile, powerful strides. The blue-robed figure moved like a wisp of green smoke through the mountain forest. After nightfall, the travelers on the path still did not light candles. In the dead of night, Chen Ping'an suddenly stopped. He stood atop a towering ancient tree and looked into the distance. On the peak of a massive solitary peak surrounded by sheer cliffs on all sides, lanterns burned brightly, and buildings were densely packed. Only a chain-and-plank bridge connecting this peak to the high mountain Chen Ping'an stood on led to that hilltop "town." When the night wind blew, the entire bridge would sway gently.
It looked like a rather prominent martial arts sect. The spiritual energy nearby was thin, only slightly better than the border region between the Silver Screen Kingdom and the Locust Yellow Kingdom. It was not a feng shui treasure land suitable for Qi refiners to cultivate.
Chen Ping'an sat on a branch, chewing on a piece of hard bread. His Nourish Sword Gourd now held over a dozen catties of wine from the Orchid Boudoir Kingdom. He hadn't drunk much along the way, so quite a bit remained.
Chen Ping'an began to close his eyes and rest. Even with his minor refinement, the two Dragon-Slaying Platforms were still progressing slowly. He hadn't managed to completely refine them even after traveling this entire road.
Unconsciously, the lights on the opposite hilltop gradually went out, leaving only a few specks of light in the end.
At dawn, Chen Ping'an opened his eyes. He pasted a Tombstone-Bearing Talisman, which he had learned from Du Yu of the Ghost Axe Palace, onto himself and continued his cultivation.
His northward journey was unhurried, following his whims. He only needed to reach the Green Oriole Kingdom in the eastern part of the Northern Candle Continent before autumn arrived. The Green Oriole Kingdom was at the mouth of that great river. The central part of the Northern Candle Continent was high, sloping down towards the sea on both the east and west sides. The north was even higher. The entire Northern Candle Continent, from the Skeleton Beach northward, rose in steps like a staircase. The source of the great river was in the north. Over a dozen rivers with immense water volume flowed into the bed of the great river, creating the rare spectacle of a single great river having two main estuaries.
After fully completing the minor refinement of the two Dragon-Slaying Platforms, Chen Ping'an placed them insubstantial in two of his acupoints, where a "trace of minuscule sword energy" once coiled. The flying swords First and Fifteenth each took up residence in one of them.
Every time the flying swords collided with the Dragon-Slaying Platforms to sharpen their edges, sending sparks flying, Chen Ping'an felt a pang in his heart. This was the fundamental reason why he couldn't travel faster. Chen Ping'an's minor refinement speed was barely keeping pace with the rate at which First and Fifteenth were "consuming" the Dragon-Slaying Platforms. After they finished devouring the Dragon-Slaying Platforms, that was just the preparation. The key step would be to refine First and Fifteenth into his natal objects, a process destined to be perilous and agonizing.
But this feeling of returning to the bamboo tower of Fallen Mountain, where he used to let people practice their punches on him, strangely made Chen Ping'an feel more grounded.
On the bridge, he remembered the creaking wheels of the dung carts. On this side of the bridge, large vegetable plots had been carved out of the high mountains. Then, a group of people carrying water from a distant mountain stream appeared. A child followed, breaking a willow twig and hopping along, swinging a small water bucket as a prop. From the hilltop town, the shouts of martial artists practicing their stances and weapons rang out.
Living on a mountain without being able to abstain from eating was indeed somewhat troublesome. Most of the figures who had returned to the hilltop town in the small hours carried bundles. Some led pack mules laden with goods as they crossed the bridge back home.
Chen Ping'an planned to stay here for another two days, striving to focus his energy and use the immortal formula derived from the Rain-Prayer Stele Inscription of the Green Wandering Palace to completely minor refine the two Dragon-Slaying Platforms. Then he would set off again.
For over a dozen countries north of the Spring Dew Garden, including the Gold Leaf Kingdom, the Great Seal Dynasty was the leader. Martial fortune flourished here, and martial artists of the pugilist world ran rampant. This had escalated to the absurd point where hundreds of martial artists would often band together to besiege mountain immortal sects.
On this vast map, only the Golden Scale Palace, guarded by a single Nascent Soul cultivator, could barely avoid disaster. However, its disciples still had to be extremely cautious when venturing down the mountain for trials.
When Chen Ping'an first heard about this in the Spring Dew Garden, he also found it hard to believe. But when he learned that one of the four Tenth Realm martial artists of the Northern Candle Continent was located in the Great Seal Dynasty, he understood a bit.
The Northern Candle Continent currently had four End Realm martial artists. The oldest was originally a highly respected martial master from the mundane world, a close friend of several mountain Sword Immortals. For reasons unknown, he had gone insane a few years ago. Several Upper Five Realm cultivators had to expend tremendous effort to jointly detain him. They couldn't go all out for fear of accidentally killing the old martial artist. In the process, he had seriously injured a Daoist Immortal of the Jade Purity Realm and was temporarily imprisoned in the Heavenly Lord's Mansion, awaiting the decree of Heavenly Lord Xie Shi upon his return from the Bottle Gourd Continent.
The youngest was just over a hundred years old and was the chief guest elder of a sect-level immortal clan in the north. His wife was a female Sword Immortal who had just recently entered the Jade Purity Realm. The age gap between them was significant, and their coming together was a story in itself.
Then there was a hermit master from the Great Seal Dynasty, a lone recluse. For decades, he had been elusive, appearing and disappearing like a divine dragon. There were many theories about him. Some said he was dead, killed in a life-or-death battle with a nemesis, a Great Sword Immortal, but the Great Seal Dynasty had covered it up well. Others said he had gone to the Camellia Cave Heaven, attempting a rebellious act: using spiritual energy to temper his physical body, like practicing martial arts against the sea breakers in his youth, and then engaging in a fierce battle with that Sword Immortal from the Ape Cry Mountain, who had just broken through to the next realm sixty years ago.
The most recent one had a strange origin. He had made very few public appearances, and almost no one died under his fists. However, he had dismantled the ancestral halls of two sects, both immortal clan residences guarded by Nascent Soul Sword Cultivators. This led the Northern Candle Continent's landscape gazetteers to boldly assert that this man was yet another newly emerged End Realm martial artist. It was said that he had some connections with Lion's Peak, and his name was likely an alias: Li Er.
The Great Seal Dynasty also had an Eighth Realm martial artist, relatively easier to meet. She was a female Grandmaster, a swordswoman, who now served as the personal bodyguard of the Great Seal Zhou Emperor. However, her future prospects were not considered bright. Reaching the Far Traveling Realm was already her absolute limit, and she was destined never to hope for the Mountain Summit Realm.
In short, here, the martial artists of the pugilist world had the loudest voices and the hardest fists.
For Chen Ping'an now, the Golden Body Realm martial artists outside of Fallen Mountain were truly somewhat hard to fathom.
First, there was Su Lang, the Green Bamboo Sword Immortal who had wanted to challenge Senior Song to a duel.
Second, there was the one who had sneakily punched him at the Cangyun Lake Dragon Palace.
Third, there was the Liao surname attendant beside Wei Bai, the young master of Iron Ship Manor on the ferry.
Chen Ping'an actually quite wanted to find a Far Traveling Realm martial artist to spar with. Unfortunately, the clone of Gao Cheng on the ferry was presumably an Eighth Realm martial artist. But that old swordsman, whose aura was exceptionally impressive, had slit his own throat. Before his head hit the ground, his words—"Three Plum Blossom Sect Jade Purity Realms are not worthy of this kill"—were also quite heroic.
Earlier, on a lake in the Gold Leaf Kingdom, Chen Ping'an had rented a small boat to fish in the night and had witnessed a grisly battle from afar.
It seemed like a well-planned ambush. First, a brawl broke out on a pleasure boat anchored in the middle of the lake. Several dozen people were split into two factions, wielding various weapons. Among them were about a dozen or so local top-tier martial artists, likely Fifth or Sixth Realm fighters. They fought fiercely, sending arms and heads flying. Then, seven or eight military warships from the Gold Leaf Kingdom appeared, hanging bright lanterns that lit up the lake like day. They surrounded the original pleasure boat. First came a dozen volleys of powerful crossbows and arrows. After the fighting martial artists had left over a dozen corpses on deck and the rest had scurried into the cabins for cover, the military ships used their striking poles to batter the pleasure boat. During this time, injured martial artists tried to break out, unwilling to wait for death. But as soon as they leaped from the boat, they were either driven back by the rain of arrows or killed on the spot by an old eunuch in a python robe, or cut in half by the sword qi of a young female swordswoman. There was also a burly general in Sweet Dew Armor, standing on the lower deck holding an iron spear, who hadn't acted at first.
A few martial experts who feigned injury, fell into the lake, and then tried to hold their breath and dive away also couldn't escape. Water creatures were likely lurking there, waiting for them. Forced to the surface, they were then picked off one by one by the burly general with a strong bow, each shot through the head.
After the Gold Leaf Kingdom military ships closed in, Chen Ping'an had already steered his small boat away into the distance.
The final scene left a deep impression on Chen Ping'an.
That female swordswoman stood at the bow of the ship, continuously striking with her sword. Whether it was a corpse floating on the water or an injured person who had fallen into the lake, she stabbed each one, adding a wisp of sharp sword qi to ensure death.
In the end, it was estimated that few on the central lake boat survived.
Those who did manage to live were very likely imperial moles.
Chen Ping'an finally saw three people walk up to the top deck of the warship and clasp their fists in salute to the burly general in Sweet Dew Armor.
Chen Ping'an closed his eyes and continued the minor refinement of the Dragon-Slaying Platforms.
When one truly delves into the path of cultivation, they quickly discover that the most worthless and yet the most valuable thing is time itself.
As for that pugilistic matter, Chen Ping'an had never even entertained the thought of intervening from beginning to end.
In the dark of that night, Chen Ping'an gently exhaled a breath of turbid qi. Looking up, he saw a young couple appear on the bridge. The woman was a pure martial artist with a decent foundation, about the Third Realm. The man was elegantly handsome, more like a well-read Confucian scholar, not really a pure martial artist. The woman walked slowly across the swaying iron chains. The man, who was not old yet looked slightly aged, was extremely worried. At the bridge's end, the woman lightly jumped down, and the man took her hand.
They walked hand in hand along the mountain path, whispering to each other about everything under the sun.
They were heading in Chen Ping'an's direction.
So Chen Ping'an overheard some inside information about the Gold Leaf Kingdom's court and pugilist world.
It turned out that the pugilist world had been quite unsettled in recent years. After the current monarch usurped the throne, according to unofficial histories of the Gold Leaf Kingdom, the first thing this Emperor did upon sitting on the dragon throne was to place a horizontal saber across his knees. He then ordered the summoning of the several marquises and nobles who managed the royal clan's genealogy and jade registers to the main hall. Page by page, he flipped through the registers. Starting from the late emperor's queen, who had hanged herself, he would call out a name, and a head would roll outside the hall. He utterly exterminated the remnants of the previous dynasty. Outside the hall, blood flowed in rivers overnight. But in the end, one fish slipped through the net: the young son of the previous emperor. He had been smuggled out of the palace by a palace maid and, under the escort of loyal ministers, luckily escaped the capital. He went into exile in the pugilist world and vanished without a trace. To this day, he has not been found. So for many years, there have been frequent and inexplicable massacres of entire families in the pugilist world, especially among the larger schools and sects. Even when some were clearly killed in vendettas, local officials didn't dare investigate too deeply, afraid of overstepping their bounds and touching the Emperor's raw nerve. With officialdom hamstrung, and the Gold Leaf Kingdom's inherent reverence for martial arts, local generals loved to use the pretext of suppressing bandits and rebels. They would use groups of pugilists' heads to practice their martial arts and drill their troops. The legitimate pugilists with established families naturally found life unbearable.
The pugilist world couldn't stay this chaotic forever. So, over a dozen venerable martial arts elders and martial arts grandmasters, along with seven or eight notorious demonic overlords who were usually at each other's throats, briefly set aside their differences. They planned a private meeting and a banquet. Not to rebel, of course, but to think about making the Emperor sleep easier. To end the reign of terror that had gripped both the court and the countryside, they thought to do their small part. They would help His Imperial Majesty turn over every stone, completely scouring the already murky pugilist world, to find that former dynasty prince who should have died long ago. Once he was dead, the Emperor would surely be overjoyed, and the chaotic situation in the pugilist world would have to improve, allowing the various pugilistic heroes to catch their breath.
The young couple spoke of these blood-soaked conflicts with deep concern.
The reason was that their own sect was named the Towering Sect, one of the Gold Leaf Kingdom's premier pugilist powers. According to the internal divisions of the martial world, there were nearly a hundred documented pugilist sects of various sizes. There was a clear dividing line: the current Emperor's ascension. The pugilist world was split into new and old. The new sects often relied on the capital's nobles or feudal lords, while the old ones were barely surviving. The Towering Sect naturally belonged to the old school. The woman's father was even one of the four great orthodox masters.
But the latest news she had received was that the location for the banquet had finally been decided. It would be on an island in the middle of a large lake. Neither the orthodox nor the unorthodox grandmasters would have a chance to tamper with it.
Neither the black nor the white path was willing to go to the other's territory to discuss matters. Who knew if they'd be wiped out in one fell swoop? The orthodox faction thought the demonic cultivators were brutal and unrestrained. The demonic overlords felt the so-called chivalrous men were hypocrites, a bunch of sanctimonious men and women, worse than themselves.
But aside from these distant worries, under the moon, with the person right in front of them being the one their heart desired, with the world silent and no one around, it was naturally hard to resist their feelings. Some affectionate gestures followed.
Earlier, the woman had been holding a willow branch. While walking through her stance, she threw a punch with one hand and made a few flashy sword flourishes with the other.
Chen Ping'an sighed softly. The master of the Towering Sect was likely one of the three pugilist masters who had survived until the end on the lake. The man's punching style was somewhat similar to the woman's under the tree. He wore a soft sword around his waist. When he drew it, he would wrap it around the neck and slice off heads. His swordsmanship was very soft and uncanny.
The man and woman leaned into each other, their hands starting to wander, becoming a little passionate.
If it were just that, it would have been fine. Chen Ping'an could have just closed his eyes and cultivated. But he was afraid that these two, in their passion, would set off a spark that ignited a wildfire.
And, of course, what he feared came to pass. The couple moved behind a tree, and the woman said she wanted to find a spot among the branches with thick shade, somewhere more hidden. Otherwise, she wouldn't let him get fresh.
The man laughed and agreed. The young woman grabbed her lover's shoulders to leap up.
Chen Ping'an, who had a Tombstone-Bearing Talisman on him, looked around. He flicked his finger, and a small stone in the grass beneath the tree shattered with a soft crack.
Startled, the man and woman quickly turned to look.
Chen Ping'an stood up and vanished in a flash.
Fine, fine. The place was theirs.
Chen Ping'an went to a higher spot on this mountain to continue the minor refinement of the Dragon-Slaying Platforms.
But after being frightened, the couple lingered for a while before quickly hurrying back to the chain bridge. The entire hilltop town, belonging to the Towering Sect, was suddenly ablaze with lights, lit up like snow.
Then, people surged towards the gate, apparently to welcome an important guest.
Chen Ping'an looked into the distance. On the winding mountain path, a slender line of torchlight appeared, moving slowly like a serpent. It looked exactly like the talisman fire dragon Liu Zhiqing had drawn on his case.
It seemed a large group was climbing the mountain tonight to visit the Towering Sect.
Actually, Chen Ping'an had noticed some clues the night before. He had spotted several pugilistic martial artists acting like scouts, skulking and hiding, apparently surveying the terrain.
Chen Ping'an thought for a moment, then stood up. He took a detour to the cliffside, as far from the lights of the sect gate as possible. He took a few steps back, then leaped. He grabbed onto the sheer cliff face of the solitary peak where the Towering Sect was located, then traversed sideways, climbing along. Finally, he silently hid near the underside of the chain bridge. He dug the fingers of one hand into the rock wall, letting his body sway gently in the wind. With his other hand, he took down the Nourish Sword Gourd and took a drink.
At one end of the chain bridge, the master of the Towering Sect, Lin Shu, had a slightly pale face. He had been injured quite badly in the battle on the lake and still hadn't fully recovered. But he had gambled big and won big, acquiring a vast fortune, which put him in excellent spirits.
The three distinguished guests visiting the Towering Sect were: the Defender-in-Chief, General Du Ying, who was also the Emperor's adopted son and had been granted the imperial surname; the Director of the Imperial Horse Administration, a eunuch with unfathomable skills; and an especially distinguished guest from the Great Seal Dynasty, Zheng Shuizhu, a master swordswoman. Her master was the gatekeeper of the Great Seal Dynasty's imperial palace.
Zheng Shuizhu was one of the five favored disciples of that Great Seal female Martial God. She was even the youngest disciple, with the best talent, receiving the most favor. Her participation in the Gold Leaf Kingdom lake ambush was just for relaxation. She had a more important mission from her master. Lin Shu was the first pugilist master to pledge allegiance to the new Emperor. He had been lying low in the pugilist world for over a decade and was well-informed. Rumors said there was a fierce black flood dragon lurking in a river outside the Great Seal capital, with immense Daoist power. It had co-existed peacefully with the human world for a thousand years, but for some reason, there had been repeated floods lately, threatening to drown the capital. So Lin Shu vaguely guessed that Zheng Shuizhu's journey south might be related to that saber enshrined in the Martial Temple of the Gold Leaf Kingdom's capital. After all, Zheng Shuizhu's master, although a Grandmaster capable of riding the wind and traveling far, and wielding a divine weapon as her sword, still lacked a celestial weapon specifically effective against flood dragons to deal with such a water dragon's turmoil.
And that precious saber of the Gold Leaf Kingdom had been steeped in the blood of over a hundred former dynasty princes and imperial descendants. Not only that, but earlier, it had also been used to cut off the head of the previous Defender-in-Chief. That meritorious general, renowned throughout the court, had been the greatest obstacle preventing the current Emperor from reaching the dragon throne.
It could be said that this very saber had completely severed the dragon vein and imperial destiny of the previous dynasty.
At one end of the chain bridge, General Du Ying was still clad in his snow-white military armor. He rested his saber on the ground, not stepping onto the bridge.
The female swordswoman, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, carried the longsword "Moon Shield" on her back. This sword was her master's cherished possession, accompanying her master through the long years of the Body Tempering and Qi Refining Six Realms. Only after reaching the Spirit Tempering Realm did her master give it to her youngest disciple, Zheng Shuizhu. Her four senior siblings were not so honored. When the sword was given, Zheng Shuizhu was only six years old. She supported the sword with both hands, it was taller than she was. Her usually stern master laughed heartily at the sight. But the precocious Zheng Shuizhu noticed the different looks in the eyes of her four senior siblings at that moment.
Now, as Zheng Shuizhu looked around, the mountain wind gusted. The town built on the opposite solitary peak was brilliantly lit. In the night, it looked like a large lantern floating in the air.
As for the eunuch from the Imperial Horse Administration, in his python robe, he gently rubbed his hands together. Though his hair was white, his skin was fair and delicate, and his complexion was radiant. After all, he was a Golden Body Realm martial artist, hailed as the Night Wandering God of the Gold Leaf Kingdom's capital.
In terms of realm and combat prowess, the old eunuch was actually a cut above Zheng Shuizhu. But throughout this journey south and the return north, the old eunuch had always been extremely respectful to this young woman. A Fifth Realm physique and cultivation base allowing her to use the sword qi and killing power equivalent to the Sixth Realm—that was the benefit of a prestigious lineage, a protective amulet for traveling the pugilist world. The name of her master was even more of a life-saving charm, an imperial sword of sorts, granting her the power to act first and report later across the Great Seal's many vassals and neighboring countries. Zheng Shuizhu could kill anyone as long as they weren't generals, ministers, or nobles of another country, and no one would hold her accountable. But this was Zheng Shuizhu's first time leaving the Great Seal capital, and she had a secret mission. So, she was far less renowned than her four senior siblings.
Three distinguished guests had stopped, so Lin Shu had to remain where he was.
Du Ying suddenly spoke, "I've been hunting for the remnants of the previous dynasty for over a decade. I've personally inspected over a hundred pugilist sects of various sizes, everyone of the right age. I've also checked the officialdom, the pugilist world of neighboring countries, and even many mountain immortal clan forces. From when he was a four-year-old child, year after year, all the way to finding a young man in his twenties. I'm a battlefield general, bearing the title of Defender-in-Chief, yet I've ended up traveling so far through the pugilist world. I can't even return home. It's been very hard work. Even a father searching for a lost child wouldn't have worked this hard. What do you think, Sect Master Lin?"
Lin Shu cupped his fists and said, "The General has performed great feats and endured great hardships! This time, with your masterful strategy, the pugilist world has been completely pacified. I believe that when the General returns to the capital..."
Du Ying waved his hand, cutting Lin Shu off. "It's only by working together with you, Sect Master Lin, that I've suddenly realized I've been neglecting the obvious. On your Towering Peak, I've never personally searched it all these years."
Lin Shu was instantly drenched in cold sweat.
Du Ying laughed, "Of course, the court moles I placed by your side conducted a careful investigation long ago. Two elite moles, unaware of each other, both reported nothing."
Lin Shu sighed with relief. He raised his arm high, cupping his fists towards the capital, and said solemnly, "General, I, Lin Shu, and the Towering Sect are utterly loyal to His Imperial Majesty. Heaven is my witness!"
Du Ying slowly drew his saber. He pointed it at the hilltop town. "There's a very safe method now. It just depends on whether you, Sect Master Lin, have enough loyalty and courage to do it. The ages on the Towering Sect's genealogy, the household registrations in the local county archives—these can all be faked. So, just kill all the men in the town of over twelve hundred people who are between eighteen and twenty years old, or who look like they might be in their twenties. Problem solved."
Du Ying smiled again, "Of course, people can't die for nothing. I, Du Ying, don't mistreat my meritorious officials. When I return to the capital and have an audience with His Majesty, I will personally beg him for rewards. For every head that rolls down Towering Peak tonight, I will compensate you, Lin Shu, with a thousand taels of silver. For every ten heads you gather, I will cede to the Towering Sect the territory of one of the sects whose leaders died on the lake boat. How about that?"
Lin Shu smiled wryly, "But could it be that there are villains within the Towering Sect feeding false information to the General, deliberately trying to paint me, Lin Shu, as disloyal and unfilial?"
Du Ying nodded, "There are indeed villains, more than one. One is your unworthy disciple. He sees no hope of legitimately inheriting the position of Sect Master. He was nearly expelled by you a while back. Naturally, he harbors resentment. He wants to use this to turn the tables and become the Sect Master himself. I agreed verbally. You can kill him when you get back, Sect Master Lin. This kind of person couldn't even manage half a pugilist world, let alone an entire Towering Sect. What use would he be to me?"
Du Ying pointed the tip of his saber towards the gate on the other side of the bridge and continued slowly, "The other one is a young man who lived with the court mole. That mole was formerly the teacher at your town's private school. The young man was considered a promising scholar. He and your only daughter had mutual feelings, but you thought he had no martial talent and wasn't worthy of her. Before the old mole died, he thought the young man had the makings of an official. So, through the old mole's manipulation, the young man inherited his teacher's identity. Since then, he has been able to communicate secretly with the court. In fact, the idea of killing all the Towering Sect youths of the right age was his. I also agreed. I promised not only to keep his secret and help him win the girl, but also to arrange for him to enter officialdom through the imperial examinations. He would surely pass with honors. Who knows, in ten or twenty years, he might become a regional governor of some prefecture in the Gold Leaf Kingdom."
Lin Shu's face twisted in rage. He ground his teeth. "This ungrateful whelp! Back then, his parents died early, and he was from the lowliest family of night soil collectors! If the Towering Sect hadn't given him a monthly stipend, he would have starved to death!"
The old eunuch from the Imperial Horse Administration pinched a strand of white hair hanging from his temple and said in a shrill voice, "These are all minor matters. According to the secret report from another mole, your Towering Sect has also been sheltering a high-level figure for many years. But this person has been hiding their identity very well, never showing their hand. It's a bit troublesome."
Lin Shu was stunned.
Zheng Shuizhu frowned, "General Du, are we going to just waste time here? We just need to take the saber and try it on the peak to know if the previous dynasty remnant is there or not. If there really is a Qi refiner from the Golden Scale Palace hiding here, it's likely the prince's guardian. Kill two birds with one stone: eliminate the remnant and expose the Golden Scale Palace cultivator."
Among the retinue, there was a plain-looking man holding a long box.
Du Ying laughed, "What if that Golden Scale Palace Immortal has a very high realm? These hundred or so armored soldiers of mine can't withstand a few of their spells. Even if the three of us together can't defeat them, once they carry someone off through the wind, we can only watch them go. We can't exactly jump off the cliff, right?"
Zheng Shuizhu turned her head to look at the man holding the box. She scoffed, "Our Guardian True Person's senior disciple is here. Are you still afraid of a Qi refiner who has been hiding on the Towering Peak for over a decade?"
In the Great Seal Dynasty, there were two factions responsible for protecting the dynasty's fortune: the pure martial artists of Zheng Shuizhu's line, and the lineage of cultivators led by Guardian True Person Liang Hongyin. The relationship between these two groups had always been terrible. They despised each other and often clashed in secret. The Great Seal Dynasty was vast and rich in resources. Except for the territory of the Golden Scale Palace in the deep mountains of the northern border, the Emperor allowed these two forces to compete freely for the resources of the pugilist world and the mountains. Naturally, they clashed. One of Zheng Shuizhu's senior brothers, originally a very talented martial artist, was once ambushed by three disguised Observation and Dragon Gate Realm Qi refiners. His legs were broken, and he was now confined to a wheelchair, half an invalid. Later, one of Guardian True Person Liang Hongyin's direct disciples also inexplicably disappeared during a training mission. His body has never been found.
The man with the veiled face had a cold expression. He glanced at Zheng Shuizhu's back. This little woman always looked down on everyone. She was quite unruly in the capital. Relying on the old woman's doting, she had been flirting with a Great Seal prince a few years ago. Did she really think she was the anointed future Empress?
Du Ying asked, "What do you say, Sect Master Lin?"
Lin Shu's face contorted. "I will kill all the young men of the right age on the mountain! But I have two conditions. That disciple who betrayed his master must die, and that ungrateful bastard must die even more! The Towering Sect's method of tendon removal for dealing with traitors may not be unique in the Gold Leaf Kingdom, but making someone wish they were dead isn't hard."
Du Ying shook his head. "The first is a waste. Killing him is fine. But the latter, though ambitious, is quite intelligent. In all these years, his secret letters to the court have contained not just pugilistic strategies, but also many policy suggestions. I've read them all carefully. They show great insight. Most likely, His Imperial Majesty has also read those secret memorials. They say a scholar knows the world's affairs without leaving his home. This is the kind of person they're talking about."
Lin Shu suppressed his anger, his face dark. "General, this man... he's about twenty-four or twenty-five. That's close to twenty!"
Du Ying was amused for a moment. He fell silent. Finally, he shook his head. "Tonight's visit was just a precaution. I'm helping you, Sect Master Lin, clean house and clear the path to the top of the pugilist world. I am not a man who kills indiscriminately."
The old eunuch from the Imperial Horse Administration said with a grin, "We'll play it by ear. No rush. There will be plenty of excitement tonight."
Du Ying looked at the chain bridge. "Right now, I'm afraid there really is a Golden Scale Palace cultivator lying in wait. What if, when we're halfway across, the bridge breaks?"
The old eunuch nodded. "A big problem."
The plain-looking man holding the box said calmly, "General Du, rest assured. If the man dares to make a move, the bridge will not break, but that man will surely die."
Du Ying laughed. "Is the Immortal Master certain?"
The man nodded. "The National Teacher's Mansion does not deceive General Du."
The death of a Defender-in-Chief of the first rank, who was also the adopted son of the Gold Leaf Kingdom's Emperor, would be quite troublesome. After all, the new ruler of the Gold Leaf Kingdom had come to power through the schemes of the Great Seal Dynasty's National Teacher's Mansion. A rebellious general commanding troops was a very different matter from a legitimate vassal king wearing a dragon robe. The former, the Great Seal National Teacher's Mansion could kill by proxy whenever they wanted, as many as they liked. The latter, they couldn't touch at all.
Du Ying sheathed his saber. He waved his hand. "Cross the bridge!"
At that moment, from the town on the peak of the Towering Peak, an old man grabbed a young man's shoulder and flew away through the wind. The old man's body shimmered with light, like shining golden fish scales, extremely conspicuous in the night.
Du Ying looked up. "So, the stubborn ghost of a Golden Scale Palace cultivator is here. He can't sit still anymore."
The plain-looking man behind Du Ying had already leaped into the air, transformed into a streak of rainbow light. He was a Golden Core cultivator from the Great Seal Dynasty's National Teacher's Mansion, renowned for his combat prowess, and was the senior disciple of the Guardian True Person.
The opponent, a Golden Scale Palace cultivator, was likely at the Dragon Gate Realm and was trying to escape with someone. The saber-wielding man was a full realm higher. The precious saber in his hand was a national treasure that had absorbed the incense offerings of countless people. With a single slash from a distance, the Golden Scale Palace cultivator quickly formed a hand seal. His magic robe, shimmering with golden light, detached itself and stopped in midair. It suddenly swelled, like a golden fishing net, to obstruct the saber light. The old man continued to take the young man away from the Towering Peak.
The Great Seal National Teacher's Mansion Golden Core cultivator's slash directly split the magic robe apart. His flying form abruptly accelerated. In an instant, he was behind the old Golden Scale Palace cultivator. He struck again at close range with his saber. The old cultivator tried his best to throw the young man in his hand away. Several Golden Scale Palace levitation talismans appeared on the young man's body, which would allow a mortal to travel through the wind like a Qi refiner for a short while. But the old cultivator knew this was just a deathbed struggle. Who would have thought that the Gold Leaf Kingdom would not only find the Towering Peak but also bring a Great Seal National Teacher's Mansion Golden Core cultivator?
The saber-wielding man slightly twisted his wrist. The trajectory of the national treasure saber, which had been enshrined in the Martial Temple for many years, shifted subtly. With one stroke, he cut down both the old cultivator and the young man's heads.
Just before he died, the old cultivator exploded all the spiritual energy in his Qi mansions, trying to drag a Golden Core cultivator with him to the grave.
The saber-wielding man retreated, hovering in midair. The old Golden Scale Palace cultivator and the young man, now separated from their heads, both turned to dust. Within a radius of several dozen zhang, the Qi energy was in chaos, forming a violent gale. This caused the chain bridge between the cliffs in the distance to shake violently. A few armored soldiers on the bridge were thrown off. Du Ying and Zheng Shuizhu used their thousand-jin weight techniques to stabilize the bridge somewhat.
The plain-looking man lowered his head to stare at the edge of the precious saber. He nodded, then slightly frowned. He flew back to the chain bridge and landed lightly.
Du Ying lowered his voice and asked, "Well? Was it truly the remnant?"
The man nodded. "The blood is genuine, but the dragon aura is insufficient. Somewhat unsatisfactory. It will reduce the saber's efficacy against its intended target to a certain extent. But this is also to be expected. Once the imperial destiny is broken, even if you were an emperor or monarch of the previous dynasty, the dragon aura on your body will diminish year by year."
Du Ying took a deep breath. He reached out and tightly gripped a chain. He was in high spirits. "I can finally straighten my back and return to the capital to be a true Defender-in-Chief!"
The man carefully put the precious saber back into the long wooden box. A rare smile appeared on his face. "General, your merit is not only great in the eyes of your Emperor."
The man directly tossed the wooden box to Zheng Shuizhu. His smile vanished. "There's also a considerable debt of gratitude here with you, Lady Zheng."
Zheng Shuizhu looked suspicious. She frowned. "Feng Yi, aren't you taking it directly back to the National Teacher's Mansion?"
It was obvious she was worried that this Golden Core cultivator would take the precious saber himself and go to the Great Seal Emperor to claim credit.
The man couldn't be bothered to waste words with this woman.
That extremely troublesome black flood dragon was trying to flood the Great Seal capital and turn the entire city into its underwater dragon palace. His own master was only a Nascent Soul cultivator proficient in water techniques. How could he compete with a flood dragon, naturally attuned to water, in Daoist magic? In the end, they needed this woman's master, wielding the Gold Leaf Kingdom's precious saber, to have any hope of killing the evil dragon in one blow. The cultivators of the National Teacher's Mansion could, at best, try their utmost to keep the capital from being flooded during the battle. This was a matter of utmost importance. One wrong move could cost everything, and the entire Zhou Dynasty's fortune of the Great Seal would be jeopardized. Would the National Teacher's Mansion quibble over credit with a little girl at such a critical juncture? Besides, once the battle began, the person truly doing the work, the one who would be credited with saving the country, would be Zheng Shuizhu's master. Would he, Feng Yi, even as the senior disciple of the Guardian True Person, be so foolish as to snatch the saber from the girl's hands, run to the old woman's residence, kneel, and humbly ask her to accept the saber and go out of the city to kill the dragon?
Lin Shu's legs went weak. He gripped the iron chain.
The remnant had truly been hiding right under his nose!
Du Ying laughed. "Alright, Lin Shu. You've been diligent for so many years, serving His Imperial Majesty faithfully, sending secret reports to the capital. This time on the lake, you helped me wipe out both the orthodox and unorthodox masters in one fell swoop. And tonight, you've resolved a long-standing grudge."
Lin Shu's smile was awkward. Hearing Du Ying's reassuring words, he felt both relieved and unable to truly let his guard down, afraid of the court settling scores later.
Du Ying didn't want to say more. He let Lin Shu stew in his own anxiety. Lin Shu and the Towering Sect were like the fish and shrimp in a muddy ditch. They were necessary. If someone else took over, they might work hard for the court, but they wouldn't be as useful as Lin Shu. Besides, with such a big handle in his and the court's hands, the Towering Sect would only become more docile in the future, more unscrupulous in its methods. Let pugilists kill pugilists. The court would just reap the benefits without getting its hands dirty.
Du Ying hesitated for a moment. "We'll stay at the Towering Peak tonight."
Lin Shu asked quietly, "What about the young men of the right age?"
Du Ying was a bit hesitant.
The Golden Core cultivator from the Great Seal National Teacher's Mansion twitched the corner of his mouth and said casually, "Better safe than sorry. Master Lin, handle it as you see fit."
A cruel glint appeared in Lin Shu's eyes.
The group crossed the chain bridge and entered the brightly lit town.
On the cliff face, Chen Ping'an remained completely still.
Inside the hilltop town of the Towering Peak, in the main hall of the Towering Sect, blood was everywhere.
Lin Shu sat expressionlessly in the main seat.
The plain-looking cultivator from the Great Seal National Teacher's Mansion, Zheng Shuizhu, the Gold Leaf Kingdom's Defender-in-Chief Du Ying, and the old eunuch from the Imperial Horse Administration took their seats in order.
Opposite them stood several elders of the Lin clan, then Lin Shu's only daughter, and all of Lin Shu's direct disciples. None of them dared to look directly at the opposite side.
Because Sect Master Lin Shu had adamantly refused to sit in the main seat earlier. It wasn't until the female swordswoman across from him frowned and told him to sit down that he nervously did so.
Upstairs, more than half of the young men around twenty years old were already dead.
Zheng Shuizhu's face was frosty. She turned her head. "Is killing these weaklings fun?!"
Feng Yi of the National Teacher's Mansion smiled faintly. "Who knows, we might still hook a big fish from the Golden Scale Palace."
In a place some distance from the main hall of the Towering Sect,
A young man who had replaced the old scholar as the teacher of the private school sneered coldly. He stood up and stamped his foot. A long sword sprang up from underground. He took the sword and walked out of the school gate, striding through the street, heading straight for that den of iniquity.
The Golden Scale Palace and the Great Seal Dynasty had a terrible relationship. They were on the verge of an open conflict.
Since things had come to this, he didn't mind conveniently killing a Great Seal Golden Core Qi refiner. If he wasn't mistaken, that young female swordswoman was also the beloved disciple of that Eighth Realm old woman. With these two dead, and especially if the precious saber used to suppress the flood dragon was lost, while Du Ying survived, it would be enough to plunge the Gold Leaf Kingdom Emperor into chaos. He would surely be unable to explain himself to the Great Seal Zhou Emperor.
On the cliff face, Chen Ping'an let go of his hand, allowing his body to plummet rapidly.
Just as he neared the bottom of the cliff, he reached out and dug his hand into the rock wall to slow his descent. He landed lightly and slowly walked away.
This was very likely a deeply laid hunting trap.
Though everyone had their own goals.
But the moment you showed yourself and stepped into it, the higher your realm, the faster you might die.
Chen Ping'an would not get involved.
The previous dynasty remnant who had fled the capital. The usurping Emperor of the Gold Leaf Kingdom. The adopted son Du Ying, who had thrown the pugilist world into chaos. The Towering Sect's Lin Shu, who had pledged allegiance to the court. The Golden Scale Palace cultivator secretly protecting the prince. The Great Seal's Eighth Realm martial artist. The National Teacher's Mansion's Golden Core cultivator. The flood dragon trying to drown the Great Seal capital.
A certain Tenth Realm martial artist of the Great Seal Dynasty, and the Great Sword Immortal who was his mortal enemy.
Chen Ping'an walked far away.
The Golden Core Sword Cultivator, the chief guest elder of the Golden Scale Palace, had a hole punched through his glabella. Another flash of rainbow light vanished, and his Golden Core was instantly shattered.
Just before his death, the deeply hidden Golden Core Sword Cultivator stared in shock. He murmured, "Sword Immortal Ji Yue..."
His corpse quickly dissolved into a pool of blood.
On a peak opposite, an old man, short in stature, clasped his hands behind his back. "A mere Golden Core, and you dare to spoil my plans? If you are reborn in your next life, you should learn from that young man; he's escaped disaster twice now."
In an instant.
The short old man appeared beside the figure in the blue robe, walking shoulder to shoulder with him. He laughed, "Outlander, how did you sense something was wrong? Could you explain? Or were you just here for the spectacle from start to finish? You look quite young, but you're very experienced in your actions."
Chen Ping'an held his traveling staff, not stopping his pace. He smiled and said, "Senior, just go ahead and use your big bait to catch a big fish. This junior doesn't dare to wade into these muddy waters."
The short old man touched his head. "Do you think that previous dynasty remnant is dead or not?"
Chen Ping'an said, "It should be a sleight-of-hand technique from the immortal world. They managed to infuse his body with dragon blood, but he's not a true dragon's son. Lin Shu is indeed a tough man loyal to the previous dynasty's emperor, willing to protect that scholar no matter what. General Du Ying's group was still fooled. That old Golden Scale Palace cultivator was also very decisive, helping to pull the wool over everyone's eyes. As for the young man himself, he's meticulous in his thinking. With only one Lin Shu, it would have been hard to achieve this. But to you, Senior, their petty schemes are just a joke. It's better if the dragon's son of the Gold Leaf Kingdom's previous dynasty doesn't die. It's even better if that precious saber, used to suppress the flood dragon, is a bit lacking in power. So, that true hidden master of the Towering Sect, if he had just stayed put, could have avoided dying under your flying sword."
"You've been very honest, speaking your mind without holding back. You've escaped disaster again."
After the short old man finished speaking, he was silent for a moment. Then he clicked his tongue in wonder. "Interesting. Very interesting. Such a pity. Truly a pity."
The blue-robed traveler, wearing a bamboo hat, stopped walking. He smiled. "Senior, please don't try to scare me. I'm a cowardly person. If you keep this murderous aura up, I know I can't beat you. Even if I fought with my life on the line, I still couldn't win. Then I'd have no choice but to bring up my master and my senior brother. To survive, I've got no other choice."
The short old man laughed heartily. He looked at the young man's expression and nodded. "Sly and sharp. That's why you deserve to live. As handsome and slick as I was in my youth. We are half kindred spirits. If I end up killing that old bastard, you can come to Ape Cry Mountain to find me. If anyone stops you, just say you know an old man named Ji. Oh, and clever as you are, don't even think about going to inform the Great Seal Zhou Emperor. It won't be worth it."
Chen Ping'an sighed.
It really was that legendary Ape Cry Mountain Sword Immortal, Ji Yue.
Chen Ping'an turned his head to look at the bright town on the peak of the solitary mountain. He suddenly asked, "Senior, I heard that when a Great Sword Immortal strikes, he can be fast enough to sever certain karmic ties?"
The short old man thought for a moment. "I'm not there yet."
They were both silent.
The old man suddenly shook his head. "You have terrible luck, boy. You've run into me twice like this. You've almost died three times. The more I look at you, the more I can't help but think of my younger days."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "I'm used to it."
The old man waved his hand. "Go on. For a swordsman, you mustn't be too resigned to your fate. That's the only way."
The blue-robed wanderer indeed strode away.
The short, old man touched his head, looking at the jade hairpin on the young man's head. His expression was complex. He let out a soft sigh. What he had meant by "truly a pity" earlier referred to the scholar who dared to defy the heavens.
He couldn't help it. He waved his sleeve, creating a small isolated barrier, and asked, "Are you the disciple of that man from the Bottle Gourd Continent?"
The young man turned around but remained silent.
Ji Yue's expression was indifferent. He clasped his hands behind his back and said solemnly, "Don't bring shame to your master."
The man seemed to want to say something, but only nodded.
Ji Yue still didn't lift the barrier. He suddenly smiled. "When you get the chance, tell your Left Senior Uncle that his swordsmanship... wasn't really that great. Back then, I was careless, and my realm was low. That's why I couldn't withstand his sword stroke."
The young man's expression was strange.
Ji Yue waved his hand. "Let me give you a piece of advice. It's best to put away that hairpin and hide it well. I just happened to be in a good position back then and saw a glimpse of the changes down south. That's why it looked somewhat familiar. Even so, if I didn't look closely, even I couldn't detect anything strange. But what if? Not all sword cultivators are like me, who disdain bullying juniors. The so-called Sword Immortals who remain in the Northern Candle Continent now—if they recognize who you are, most will be unable to resist striking you with their swords. As for whether killing you will provoke your Left Senior Uncle to set foot in the Northern Candle Continent... to these arrogant Nascent Soul and Jade Purity Realm brats who don't know their own limits, that's just a happy occurrence in life. They really aren't afraid of death. That's the spirit of our Northern Candle Continent. It's both good and bad."
The young man turned around and asked, "Senior, were you the one who first went out to sea and struck with your sword against the Northern Candle Continent Sword Immortal back then? I've read many landscape gazetteers, but there are only various guesses and no clear records."
Ji Yue said with a laugh, "Those spies, skulking like ground rats, even if they knew it was me, Ji Yue, would they dare to name me? Look at those three Sword Immortals behind me. Who among them knows? Ah, yes, when you go down the mountain for training in the future, you still need to be careful, just like tonight. You can never know the true divine being pulling the strings behind the seemingly insignificant puppets. To put it bluntly, how Du Ying views Lin Shu, how you view Du Ying, how I view you—who knows if there is someone watching me, Ji Yue? Many cultivators on the mountain die without even understanding how, let alone those down the mountain. All ailments can be cured, but there is no cure for stupidity."
The young man cupped his fists. "Senior, your teachings are deeply remembered. This junior thanks you."
Ji Yue waved his hand, then vanished in a flash.
Chen Ping'an distanced himself from the Towering Peak and continued his solitary travels.
This was the pugilist world. One never knew what storms they would encounter.
The plum rain season arrived.
Chen Ping'an decided to bypass the Great Seal Dynasty entirely and headed for a coastal vassal kingdom.
On a cliffside plank road, under a torrential downpour, Chen Ping'an lit a campfire and stared blankly into the curtain of rain. The rain cleared away the summer heat.
The rain poured down, the sound slow and persistent. The willows were soft and pliant. The lotus leaves were round and full. The mountains were a deep, lush green. The road stretched out long and far before him. Thoughts of leaving, of parting, weighed heavily on his mind, stretching endlessly like the rain.