Chapter 526: The Hanging Thread Lifted Becomes Murderous Intent
The ferry from Dragon Head Crossing heading south to Skeleton Beach slowly rose into the air, the clouds and rosy clouds in the sky as splendid as red brocade.
Gu Mo leaned against the railing, silently weeping. Her master had once said that her greatest wish in this life was to raise her robes and ascend to the heavens in broad daylight.
At that time, Gu Mo had been an ignorant young girl, asking what was so good about ascending to the heavens?
Her master had only gazed at the evening clouds in the sky, telling the girl nothing at all.
Gu Mo was not grieving over losing some backer. The Daoists and female priests of the Tai Xia lineage went down the mountain to slay demons and subdue monsters; as long as they didn't die, they were not to return home and complain to their elders.
Sui Jingcheng stood beside Gu Mo.
Rong Chang had not shown himself, but Qi Jinglong stood not far from them. Since the ferry was heading south, it was somewhat along the way; the ferry's route would pass through the territory of the Great Seal Dynasty.
However, Qi Jinglong soon returned to his own room.
On the ground, Chen Ping'an's blue-clad figure had already begun walking north on foot, heading toward the estuary of that great river.
Gu Mo and Sui Jingcheng lived in adjacent rooms on the ferry. By now, Gu Mo had returned to normal. She unceremoniously followed Sui Jingcheng into her room, poured herself a cup of tea, and acted as if she belonged there, completely ignoring Sui Jingcheng's expression that clearly said "I want to cultivate alone." Gu Mo's face was full of smiles. With Sui Jingcheng's current chaotic state of mind, she could still calmly breathe and meditate? Lying to ghosts.
Gu Mo asked, "That surnamed Chen, didn't he give you a few tokens of affection?"
Sui Jingcheng paid no attention to this female cultivator who spoke without restraint.
Gu Mo glanced at the small mountain-traveling staff in her hand. With her Dragon Gate realm bottleneck cultivation, she could naturally see through that fellow's clumsy camouflage at a glance. "Just this thing? The material isn't bad, and the appearance is passable, but Sui Jingcheng is so beautiful, that fellow clearly lacks sincerity. Sui Jingcheng, I'm not the one to say this, but don't let yourself be bewitched by that fellow's sweet talk."
Sui Jingcheng took off her bamboo hat and placed the mountain-traveling staff on the small table. She sat across from Gu Mo and rested her head on the table.
Gu Mo looked at this jade beauty of the Sui family, clicking her tongue in admiration.
In this world, as long as a woman was truly beautiful, whether she spoke or not, she was a landscape.
When Sui Jingcheng advanced to the middle five realms, her charm would only increase. What would happen then? Gu Mo couldn't help but reach out to touch Sui Jingcheng's soft, delicate face.
Sui Jingcheng slapped Gu Mo's hand away, straightened her waist, and sat up properly, frowning, "Immortal Gu, please show some respect!"
Gu Mo rolled her eyes, drank the tea in one gulp, put down the cup, and asked softly, "I heard that you traveled through several countries together with that Chen. If you were out in the wilderness, eating in the wind and sleeping in the dew, how did you handle bathing? And you haven't severed your Red Dragon yet, right? Isn't that troublesome?"
Sui Jingcheng said calmly, "Immortal Gu is a cultivating immortal; isn't it inappropriate to ask these things?"
Gu Mo grinned, "Even if I cultivate the Dao, am I not still human? Even if a woman cultivates, is she not still a woman? I ask these questions; I don't spend a single Snowflake Coin, and you won't lose a single Snowflake Coin either. Come on, tell me."
Sui Jingcheng said solemnly, "Sir is a righteous gentleman. Immortal Gu, I will only say this once: I do not wish to hear similar words again!"
Gu Mo looked terrified and said, "Is it that if you get angry, you'll have Sword Immortal Rong chop me to death?"
Then Gu Mo thumped her head heavily on the table, leaned forward, and just lay there on the table, waving her hands wildly, "No, no, I'm afraid of death..."
A soft knock came at the door, and Rong Chang's voice said from outside, "It's me."
Sui Jingcheng breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "Please come in."
Gu Mo had already sat up straight and was slowly sipping her tea.
Rong Chang seemed long accustomed to this. After sitting down, he said to Sui Jingcheng, "Next, we will head to Skeleton Beach at the southernmost tip of Beiju Luzhou, and then we will travel across continents to journey through Baoping Zhou. I'll tell you some of the mountain prohibitions. It might be a bit tedious, but there's no help for it. Although Baoping Zhou is the smallest continent in the Haoran World, it doesn't necessarily have fewer extraordinary people and strange scholars. We should still talk about adapting to local customs."
Rong Chang actually felt a bit awkward.
In the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake, his temper wasn't particularly good either. It was only in comparison to his master, Li Cai, that he appeared amiable.
What his temper was really like, those cultivators who had died or been injured under his sword, Rong Chang's sword, knew best.
As a Nascent Soul sword cultivator of considerable weight in central Beiju Luzhou, Rong Chang actually had several direct disciples in the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake. In the mortal world, there was a saying that "spare the rod, spoil the child." For him, Rong Chang, it was "eat a few more swords to increase cultivation."
However, with Sui Jingcheng, who was like a half-little junior sister, Rong Chang naturally had a lot more patience.
Sui Jingcheng listened patiently to Rong Chang's lengthy explanations.
Gu Mo wasn't an outsider, so Rong Chang wouldn't drive her away. And she didn't have the self-awareness to leave on her own, so she just sat there, drinking tea cup after cup, occasionally yawning. She would rather listen to that tedious lecturing than go alone to her room.
Rong Chang breathed a sigh of relief. Sui Jingcheng seemed to have learned many mountain rules from that young man surnamed Chen.
And compared to that familiar little junior sister, she was indeed very different.
The little junior sister was both the best-tempered and the worst-tempered person in the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake. When she was in a good mood, she could instruct the younger generation of the sect in swordsmanship for a long time, more dedicated than a Dao transmission master. When she was in a bad mood, even Master Li Cai couldn't do anything about her. Once, after returning from a journey, the little junior sister felt she wasn't wrong, and the Sword Immortal master felt even more certain she was right. After the argument, the enraged master confined the little junior sister, suppressing her cultivation to only the Cave Dwelling realm, and sank her to the bottom of the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake for half a year.
When she was dragged ashore, she was already at death's door. The master asked her if she admitted her mistake. The little junior sister replied, "The scenery at the bottom of the lake is absolutely wonderful; I haven't seen enough."
In the end, the master looked around, her gaze icy cold. Rong Chang, as the senior disciple, had no choice but to grit his teeth and step forward. Of course, he didn't forget to send a voice transmission to a few junior brothers and sisters, saying that everyone was willing to be punished on behalf of the little junior sister. The master then took the opportunity to give each of them a sword strike, which slightly relieved her anger before she left the shore.
Afterwards, Rong Chang was almost hunted down by his junior brothers and sisters. He felt so wronged but couldn't reveal the heavenly secrets. He had no choice but to flee the sect to avoid the storm. Master had privately transmitted her voice to me alone, telling me to roll out and accept punishment, and to show the demeanor of a senior disciple. What could I do?! Master's skill at giving people tight shoes to wear wasn't inferior to her swordsmanship, was it?
But the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake was, ultimately, a very good place.
For example, there was an unwritten rule in the Ancestral Hall of the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake: "All disciples going down the mountain to practice swordsmanship are strictly forbidden to use the identity of a Floating Duckweed Sword Lake sword cultivator. However, if you encounter someone you cannot defeat, take three steps: First, flee quickly. Second, if you cannot escape, report the name of Li Cai of the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake. Third, if the name Li Cai doesn't work, don't forget to use the Ancestral Hall's talisman sword to transmit the name of your enemy before you die. When your soul returns to the sect's sword burial site, a head will surely accompany it."
Rong Chang naturally hoped that the little junior sister could improve further and become the second Sword Immortal of the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake, Li Cai.
As for himself, he didn't have much hope.
When one's cultivation reached the Nascent Soul stage, one already had a rough idea of how high and far one could ultimately go.
"Only when one becomes a Golden Core guest can one be considered one of us."
But once Golden Core formation was successful, besides immense luck, there appeared a more significant watershed.
This was like the scholars in the secular dynasties who leaped over the dragon gate through the imperial examinations. Some people obtained the "same jinshi chushen" and were already ecstatic, feeling that their ancestors' graves were emitting auspicious smoke, as if in a different world. For decades afterward, they would be immersed in that immense sense of achievement. These people were like wild cultivators of the mountains and marshes, or so-called rare cultivation geniuses in a small mountain sect's immortal mansion.
Some obtained the second-class jinshi. Some might feel extremely fortunate, others might still have regrets. These people were mostly registered immortal masters of larger sects.
Some obtained the first-class bangyan and tanhua, feeling it was only natural, but with minor regrets. This small group was often the direct descendants of sect-leading immortal families.
There was another type of person who won the first place, the zhuangyuan, but only because it was the highest rank, and nothing more.
Liu Jinglong could be considered one.
As for the two "young cultivators" ranked ahead of Liu Jinglong, they were, of course, even more so.
Gu Mo, and Liu Jinglong's senior sister, and he, Rong Chang—their current realms might be different, but their ultimate achievements were probably similar. They could perhaps hope for the Jade Pure realm, but it was just a possibility.
Sui Jingcheng suddenly said something off-topic, "Sword Immortal Rong, will we pass by the Golden Scale Palace along the way?"
Rong Chang smiled and said, "It's not on the way, but we can go."
Sui Jingcheng was a bit puzzled. Could it be that he would take her on a long-distance wind ride to the Golden Scale Palace and then hurriedly catch up with the ferry?
Rong Chang explained, "Just spend some money. The ferry will agree to it. They'll make some compensation to the passengers; it only takes a few days of detour."
Sui Jingcheng asked, "What if the ferry passengers don't want the money?"
Rong Chang laughed, "A Nascent Soul sword cultivator is giving them money; they should be burning incense in gratitude."
Sui Jingcheng shook her head.
Rong Chang said seriously, "What I told you earlier was more about some taboos and customs of Baoping Zhou. Now that the ferry is still over the territory of Beiju Luzhou, this is our mountain rule here."
Sui Jingcheng smiled and said, "Forget it. When I achieve success in cultivation later, I'll go to the Golden Scale Palace myself to seek justice."
This time, it was Rong Chang's turn to shake his head.
Gu Mo was grinning from ear to ear.
I heard that the Golden Scale Palace had an unknown Nascent Soul cultivator in residence. In terms of real combat power, they were definitely a waste among Nascent Souls. But if Sui Jingcheng planned to resolve the grudge herself, that meant she would at least need to become a Golden Core bottleneck sword cultivator.
When a sword cultivator sought revenge or challenged a mountain immortal sect, it was always one person and one sword, facing the entire mountain as an enemy. First, break the mountain and river formation, then break the encirclement formation of cultivators unleashing their magical artifacts, and finally fight the pillar of the cultivation sect. This was equivalent to a pure martial artist, one man and one horse, charging through and breaking a heavily armored infantry formation on the battlefield. It was no joke. In the history of Beiju Luzhou, how many sword cultivators who didn't know the height of the heavens and the depth of the earth had died while issuing sword challenges?
Sui Jingcheng smiled and said, "I know this will take a long time to wait, but that's alright."
Rong Chang thought to himself that it might not necessarily be so.
As long as you one day become that little junior sister of the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake with a complete soul again.
Sui Jingcheng hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Sword Immortal Rong, I think we should be more careful during our travels and experiences."
Rong Chang suppressed a smile and nodded, "Alright."
Gu Mo nodded in agreement, "Sword Immortal Rong, be cautious. You should listen to some of the old sayings of the martial world."
Sui Jingcheng ignored Gu Mo's teasing and continued, "Sword Immortal Rong, some of the looks you give the ferry passengers are too obvious. Cultivation can be hidden, but certain auras of a Sword Immortal are hard to conceal. If they fall into the eyes of observant people, it will inevitably make them more vigilant. If they are truly a bunch of desperadoes, then perhaps a Cave Dwelling realm combatant might recruit accomplices, trying to become a Viewing Sea realm; a Viewing Sea realm might try to become a Dragon Gate realm, and so on. A small matter becomes a big one, and a big matter becomes a disaster."
Sui Jingcheng thought for a moment, then said with a slightly embarrassed look, "Perhaps it's because my cultivation is low. I've encountered a few dangerous situations while traveling the martial world, so I'm a bit jumpy. Sword Immortal Rong, just treat my words as the ravings of a frog at the bottom of a well."
Gu Mo had lost her joking expression.
It wasn't that Sui Jingcheng's reasoning was so correct that it was enough for Rong Chang, but rather that a half-baked cultivator who had only traveled the martial world once in over thirty years possessed such a mindset. She was definitely more... willing to use her brain than Gu Mo.
Rong Chang smiled and said, "I have my own considerations."
He was, after all, a Nascent Soul sword cultivator, and he had often walked down the mountain. He had experienced countless life-and-death battles at different realms.
But Sui Jingcheng's reminder wasn't bad.
It seemed that turning the little junior sister into the current Sui Jingcheng wasn't entirely a bad thing.
Back then, when the little junior sister caused a huge disaster, leading to the enmity between the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake and the Yang family of the Chongxuan Bureau's Cloud Palace, she was sunk to the bottom of the lake for half a year. After that, Master Li Cai never let the little junior sister go out to train again. The little junior sister herself didn't want to go out anymore. She just stayed in the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake to cultivate, preferring solitude, completely ignoring worldly affairs. Then, including the sect leader Li Cai, the entire Floating Duckweed Sword Lake felt a trace of panic. It wasn't that Rong Chang's little junior sister's cultivation had stagnated, but that her realm-breaking speed was too fast!
In just twenty years, she broke through the two bottlenecks of Dragon Gate and Golden Core, directly entering the Nascent Soul realm. This was the foundation of Li Cai's confidence in claiming that this proud disciple of hers would surely be among the next batch of the top ten young cultivators of Beiju Luzhou. But even Rong Chang sensed something unstable. He always felt that such realm-breaking might bring huge hidden dangers in the long run. Master Li Cai naturally saw it more clearly. Hence, the little junior sister went into seclusion, and Tai Xia Yuanjun Li Yu quietly descended the mountain and headed to the Wuling Kingdom.
That day, Sui Jingcheng also returned to Gu Mo the gold hairpin engraved with "Tai Xia Summons Ghosts." But according to a secret agreement between her and Sword Immortal Li Cai, Gu Mo would not take the hairpin back to her sect but would hand it over to Rong Chang for temporary safekeeping. As for the reason, Gu Mo didn't know the deeper meaning. However, Sword Immortal Li Cai and Master Li Yu were close friends, and a flying sword refined by Gu Mo was, as Chen Ping'an had guessed, a relic of a Floating Duckweed Sword Lake sword immortal who had died and been reborn. It was given to Gu Mo by Li Cai. Therefore, Gu Mo was very close to this female Sword Immortal, who was like an elder to her.
Not only that, Sui Jingcheng had finally obtained the middle and lower volumes of the "Supreme Mysterious Collection."
The first volume elaborated on the fundamental principles of this great Dao technique. In the hands of an ordinary Earth Immortal, it would be a useless manual, yet Sui Jingcheng had stubbornly cultivated to the second realm, a bottleneck. Even Rong Chang felt that Sui Jingcheng's talent deserved to be called a genius of heaven. The middle volume contained the cultivation formulas step by step, a veritable "Golden Core manual." The lower volume was the key to entering the upper five realms.
Moreover, Rong Chang gave Sui Jingcheng a special jade token from the Ancestral Hall of the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake. It not only symbolized her status as a direct disciple but was also a "close-at-hand object" that only ordinary upper-five-realm cultivators would possess. Rong Chang himself only had one "square-inch object."
The ferry sailed south. During the journey, it passed by the Spring Dew Garden and made a brief stop. Passengers could disembark to roughly explore the surroundings of the ferry port, having about two hours.
Qi Jinglong got off the ferry. Most of the other passengers either rode the wind or flew swiftly.
Gu Mo shamelessly followed behind this land-bound dragon, continuing to ask about Qi Jinglong's mountain legends. When she got back to her sect, wouldn't her infatuated senior and junior sisters be dying of envy? Not just her own Tai Xia lineage, but also several female cultivators from the Pointing Mystery and White Cloud sects looked up to this young Tai Hui Sword Immortal, who was more like a bookworm than a scholar. They were so infatuated that just mentioning his name made them drool. After they finished their secret whispers, when they turned around to face their respective fellow disciples, they were, well, each as cold as ice and completely expressionless. Gu Mo had learned a lot from this spectacle.
Gu Mo had already made up her mind. When she returned to her sect, she would say that Liu Jinglong was actually a sanctimonious lecher. Any woman he saw, his eyes would naturally wander to her chest and buttocks. Moreover, he was incredibly vulgar; Liu Jinglong only fancied those vixen types who wore several pounds of makeup on their faces. This would infuriate those female priests who wouldn't dare leave their rooms after applying just a little bit of makeup and powder. In a way, wouldn't this help them cultivate in peace? And if nothing else, wouldn't it also save them the money for buying makeup?
Thus, Gu Mo's view of this young Sword Immortal from the Tai Hui Sword Sect had changed from finding him utterly displeasing at first sight to finding him more and more pleasing now.
Qi Jinglong bought some books at the Talisman Water Crossing bookstore in the Spring Dew Garden. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Miss Gu, although it might be inappropriate to say this, I really don't like you."
Gu Mo was stunned, then flew into a rage, "Liu Jinglong, have you got water in your brain?!"
Instead of getting angry, Qi Jinglong laughed. So it worked!
Gu Mo was a bit flustered. It looked like he really did have water in his brain? Could the person before her be a fake Liu Jinglong?
Qi Jinglong continued his stroll, feeling light and carefree.
Gu Mo was afraid that this fellow had lost his mind, so she slowed her pace a little, not daring to walk shoulder to shoulder with him, let alone look at him with a grin.
Qi Jinglong turned his head and smiled, "Miss Gu, there's no need for that. We can still be friends."
Gu Mo almost couldn't resist kicking him, but after weighing their respective cultivations, she managed to hold back. She just ground her teeth in anger and walked away.
Qi Jinglong felt somewhat sentimental.
Compared to Chen Ping'an, he still seemed to lack some skill in these matters.
But the general direction should be right.
Sui Jingcheng went to the Old Locust Street in the Spring Dew Garden and visited the rather small Ant Shop.
She had heard about this establishment when Sir and Mr. Liu were chatting casually.
Rong Chang, of course, followed all the way.
Sui Jingcheng, wearing her bamboo hat and holding her mountain-traveling staff, entered the shop. The shopkeeper, an enthusiastic and attentive man, spoke with great energy, briefly introducing the merits of the Ant Shop in a few words without being annoying.
Sui Jingcheng whispered, "Senior Brother Rong, can I borrow some money from you?"
Although she now had that jade token of a direct disciple from the Ancestral Hall, she was still a nominal disciple of Li Cai, the sect leader of the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake, so calling Rong Chang "Senior Brother" was fine.
Rong Chang transmitted his voice with a smile, "Master has set aside one hundred Grain Rain Coins for you. Junior Sister Sui can spend freely; it doesn't count as a loan. I also have a bit of savings over here; no need to pay it back."
The Floating Duckweed Sword Lake and the Yang family of the Chongxuan Bureau's Cloud Palace each owned twenty percent and thirty percent of the income from a Dragon Palace Small Cave Heaven. The remaining fifty percent naturally belonged to the local powers.
That Dragon Palace Cave Heaven, one of the thirty-six Small Cave Heavens, was located at the deepest part of the great river. The scenery could be described as grotesque and dazzling. It was not only a famous tourist attraction on the continent but also an excellent place for Qi refiners to practice water techniques. Just the Earth Immortal cultivators who long-term rented cultivation mansions there numbered over a dozen. The annual income from it was, as one could imagine, enormous. Even the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake's twenty percent share was a rather staggering amount of income.
Sect Leader Li Cai, however, took not a single coin.
All the immortal money from the Dragon Palace Small Cave Heaven, settled once every sixty years, was entirely allocated as the property of the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake's Ancestral Hall. It was distributed among all the sect's cultivators except herself, according to their realm, talent, and meritorious deeds.
This was the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake.
Rong Chang could guarantee that even if Master Li Cai's realm fell and she was no longer an upper-five-realm sword cultivator, the sect leader of the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake would still be Li Cai, and only Li Cai.
Regardless, the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake was truly not short of money.
Moreover, Master Li Cai had always advocated for the rule of "enriching female disciples," so that they wouldn't easily be tricked away by men.
However, half of those one hundred Grain Rain Coins were actually Master Li Cai's private savings, and the remaining half were what the Ancestral Hall had rightfully allocated to the secluded little junior sister.
Sui Jingcheng looked over all the treasure shelves of the Ant Shop and picked out a few clever little items. They weren't considered remarkable spiritual artifacts. After some bargaining, she spent only ten Snowflake Coins.
Then Sui Jingcheng asked if they had any treasures of the shop, saying that a higher price was fine.
The young attendant, who had come to help from the Night Hall, remained enthusiastic. He didn't change his attitude just because the woman in the bamboo hat had only bought a few cheap items. He roughly described a few expensive items that weren't displayed in the front shop. He didn't mention the Dragon Throne at all but focused on two Gold Crowns of magical treasure quality. He said they were one large and one small, and could be sold separately. The larger Gold Crown was eighteen Grain Rain Coins, the smaller one was sixteen. If bought together, they could be discounted by one Grain Rain Coin, totaling thirty-three Grain Rain Coins.
Sui Jingcheng asked, "Can I take a look first?"
The young attendant smiled, "Of course. If they don't catch your eye after seeing them, it's fine not to buy."
He came out from behind the counter to open the door.
Rong Chang glanced at the text on the door and found it funny and strange.
Four big characters said, "For those with affinity."
Four small characters said, "To the highest bidder."
Rong Chang couldn't associate the owner of this shop with that young man in blue at the Dragon Head Crossing of the Green Warbler Country.
Sui Jingcheng took a liking to those two Gold Crowns at first sight. She didn't haggle and asked Rong Chang to take out thirty-three Grain Rain Coins.
One hand delivered the money, the other handed over the goods.
Holding the locust wood box meticulously crafted by the Night Hall, Sui Jingcheng left the Ant Shop. Walking on Old Locust Street, her steps were light, and her mood was excellent.
The young attendant kept his head bowed, seeing the two distinguished guests out of the shop. He watched them disappear into the distance.
He found it utterly unbelievable.
In fact, this acting manager of the Ant Shop himself felt a bit guilty.
Although that pair of Gold Crowns was a genuine pair of mountain magical treasures, they truly couldn't sell for the sky-high price of thirty-three Grain Rain Coins.
The Night Hall had privately estimated that although they were two magical treasures capable of commanding the protection of two Golden Body Spirit Maidens, with an effect similar to a dharma robe and possessing a certain degree of offensive and defensive capabilities, they were ultimately not a dharma robe of magical treasure quality. Therefore, around twenty-five Grain Rain Coins was a fair price. Even adding a premium for something that money might not easily buy, like a female Earth Immortal taking a fancy to them, the absolute maximum was around twenty-eight Coins.
When one reached the Earth Immortal realm, the requirements for magical treasures were actually very simple: the more extreme, the better.
This was also the fundamental reason why the two Gold Crowns had never been sold. It wasn't that no customers liked them; it was that the price was too high with no real benefit in return.
But the pricing for the Gold Crowns and the Dragon Throne was set by the Sword Immortal shopkeeper himself. His reasoning was: what if he met someone with more money than sense?
The Night Hall was also quite helpless about this, feeling that they would probably have to gather dust for at least one or two hundred years.
Who would have thought it would be so soon?
After leaving Old Locust Street, Rong Chang smiled and said, "You paid too much."
Sui Jingcheng felt a bit embarrassed.
But she really liked these Gold Crowns!
Sui Jingcheng said softly, "Senior Brother Rong, I promise I won't buy anything else from now on."
"I'm not blaming Little Junior Sister," Rong Chang shook his head and said with a smile. "Our master spends even more generously. Once, she took a fancy to a very beautiful dharma robe and insisted that the seller raise the price. She said she wouldn't buy it otherwise. Our master didn't reveal her identity back then, and the seller was scared half to death, thinking he had met someone who had come to cause trouble. Later, when they found out it was our master, they were sick with regret, beating their chests and stamping their feet, feeling that they should have simply doubled the price."
Sui Jingcheng sincerely sighed, "If I had known, I would have gone to see the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake first."
Rong Chang breathed a sigh of relief.
Just based on Little Junior Sister's words, if Master Li Cai were present, she would definitely ask him, Rong Chang, if he had any magical treasures he wanted to buy recently.
Back on the ferry, the two of them had just sat down. Rong Chang needed to teach Sui Jingcheng a sword-forging incantation from the Floating Duckweed Sword Lake for refining those two exquisite Gold Crowns.
A sword can be refined, so naturally, all things can be refined.
He just finished reciting the thousands of words of the sword-forging incantation. Sui Jingcheng closed her eyes, then opened them and said with a smile, "I've memorized it."
Rong Chang didn't repeat himself.
The little junior sister of the past, and the Sui Jingcheng of the present, although their temperaments were completely different, like two different people, their talent for cultivation was still identical; they wouldn't disappoint anyone.
However, Sui Jingcheng still asked Rong Chang to repeat it once more to avoid any omissions.
Soon after, Gu Mo was pounding on the door from the hallway. Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang!
Sui Jingcheng opened the door.
Gu Mo said hurriedly, "Sui Jingcheng, Sui Jingcheng, let me tell you a secret! Liu Jinglong might have been swapped! The one we're seeing now might be another person!"
Sui Jingcheng was completely confused and turned her head to look at Rong Chang.
Rong Chang was a bit helpless and said to Gu Mo, "Don't talk nonsense."
Gu Mo plopped down on a chair, frowning deeply for a long time. Then, with a look of sudden enlightenment, she slammed her fist on the table, "Well, well! This shameless bastard was actually flirting with me!"
Rong Chang got up and left.
Throughout this journey, Gu Mo's state of mind had been unstable, but Rong Chang couldn't say much.
Fortunately, after this trip to Dragon Head Crossing, Gu Mo's state of mind was gradually returning to the pure and quiet realm revered by Daoism. This was a good thing.
Those two cultivators who seemed to be Blue-Clad Sirs had made a significant contribution.
Of course, Sui Jingcheng also had a share of the credit.
After Rong Chang closed the door, Gu Mo told Sui Jingcheng the whole story.
Sui Jingcheng rested her forehead on her hand and didn't want to speak.
You two have very high cultivations, but you're both completely oblivious!
This Mr. Liu, too. Has studying made him foolish? After spending so much time with Sir, couldn't he have learned a single good thing?
Indeed, as Sir had said, a cultivator's realm really isn't something you can bank on for a living.
Gu Mo asked doubtfully, "What's wrong? Do you have some insight? Could there be something more to it? I'm still a proper maiden, you know. I'm far less experienced in these matters than you are."
Sui Jingcheng's face flushed red, "What nonsense are you talking about!"
Gu Mo sighed, "Forget it."
Gu Mo leaned on the table, turned her head sideways to look at the sea of clouds outside the window.
Sui Jingcheng placed the small, exquisite Gold Crown on the table. She also leaned on the table like Gu Mo, her cheek gently resting on one arm. She stretched out a finger and gently tapped the Gold Crown.
Gu Mo said softly, "I miss my master a bit. And you, do you miss that man?"
Sui Jingcheng murmured softly, "When you don't mention it, I do. But now that you bring it up, I miss him a little less. Isn't that strange?"
Gu Mo said helplessly, "How would I know?"
The two of them were silent.
Suddenly, Gu Mo's eyes sparkled. She stood up, moved her chair, and plopped down beside Sui Jingcheng. She whispered in her ear, "Sui Jingcheng, let me tell you, there are many methods of dual cultivation, and they're not a bit lewd. They are, in fact, a proper branch of Daoism, perfectly righteous. Otherwise, why would those mountain Dao companions marry each other, right? I know some of them, for example..."
After listening for a moment, Sui Jingcheng pushed Gu Mo away, furious and embarrassed, "How can you be so shameless?!"
Gu Mo said with a wry look, "Heard it on the street, just heard it on the street!"
Sui Jingcheng's face was bright red. She suddenly stood up and pushed Gu Mo out of the room.
The door slammed shut.
Gu Mo coughed, imitating that Chen's voice and tone, "Jingcheng, I'm here. Open the door."
Sui Jingcheng said angrily, "Gu Mo!"
Gu Mo's tone remained unchanged, "Jingcheng, why aren't you being obedient anymore? Call me Sir."
Sui Jingcheng looked around, grabbed the mountain-traveling staff, opened the door, and went to hit Gu Mo.
Gu Mo had already skipped away. She poked her head out from the corner of the corridor, grinning cheekily, "Oh my, the way you look right now, even a woman like me would feel her heart flutter. I think that fellow traveled the whole way with you; he definitely couldn't keep his eyes off you. It's just that his cultivation is high and yours is low, so you didn't notice. Ah, I wonder if you ended up losing out big time... or came out way ahead."
Sui Jingcheng was so angry she wanted to chase after her.
But Gu Mo had already returned to her own room, feeling refreshed and in a much better mood.
Sui Jingcheng closed the door, leaned her back against it, and broke into a radiant smile. She sat down at the table, picked up the Gold Crown, and took out a bronze mirror.
Afterwards, she put away the Gold Crown and the mirror, and began to carefully read through the middle volume of the "Supreme Mysterious Collection."
For someone cultivating the Dao, there was no distinction between day and night.
A Qi refiner who had just begun their journey on the path of cultivation would often lose their perception of the passage of time.
Late that night, Sui Jingcheng put down the final volume of the "Supreme Mysterious Collection" and turned her head to look out the window.
A waning moon over the phoenix tree, a sudden rain on the plantain leaves, the wild geese in the autumn wind, the horse hooves on the spring grass, a small boat in the heavy snow, a childhood sweetheart, a talented scholar and a beautiful maiden, a famous general and his precious sword, a beautiful woman and her bronze mirror...
So many perfect matches in this world.
Then what about Sui Jingcheng and Sir?
---
Qi Jinglong was flipping through a book he had bought from Talisman Water Crossing. It was a miscellaneous book about the imperial porcelain of various continents and countries, a block-printed edition from the Qiong Lin Sect, the most business-savvy sect in all of Beiju Luzhou.
He suddenly furrowed his brow.
He closed the book.
And closed his eyes.
At the Kingfisher Inn in Dragon Head Crossing, Chen Ping'an had talked with him about many things, mostly touching on them lightly without leaving any traces.
There was the crashed cross-continental ferry from the Da Jiao Mountain, the Ants of the southeastern region of Beiju Luzhou, and the matter of the Destiny Porcelain from his hometown, the Li Zhu Cave Heaven.
These topics, interspersed among many others, were not conspicuous. Chen Ping'an hadn't deliberately sought any answers; it was more like a casual conversation between friends with nothing left unsaid.
But Qi Jinglong wasn't stupid.
There was a thread hidden within, one that Chen Ping'an himself might not have noticed.
The crashed cross-continental ferry from Da Jiao Mountain. The Sword Urn Gentleman, one of the ten strangest people in Beiju Luzhou, his status unknown, alive or dead. The ferry crashed in the most powerful central region of Baoping Zhou, the Zhu Ying Dynasty. Beiju Luzhou was furious. Heavenly Lord Xie Shi went south to Baoping Zhou, first returning to his old hometown, the Li Zhu Cave Heaven of the Great Li Dynasty, then proceeding to the central part of Baoping Zhou to check the Guan Hu Academy, one of the seventy-two academies. He accepted challenges from three people in succession. The Great Li iron cavalry moved south, forming a trend of sweeping across the continent. The matter of the Destiny Porcelain from the Li Zhu Cave Heaven, which wasn't a secret among the major sects of Beiju Luzhou. Chen Ping'an's earliest form of address for him had been slightly changed, from "Mr. Qi" to "Mr. Liu" and finally to "Qi Jinglong" instead of "Liu Jinglong." Chen Ping'an is currently only in the third realm of Qi refiners. He must rely on Destiny Objects of the Five Elements to rebuild his Bridge of Long Life. Chen Ping'an's knowledge is wide-ranging, but he strives for balance, putting immense effort into cultivating his heart and mind.
Qi Jinglong sighed heavily. He stood up and walked to the window.
He believed that Chen Ping'an's current journey through Beiju Luzhou absolutely involved a very far-reaching plan, one that required careful maneuvering every step of the way. It was even more cautious than his own method of traveling the martial world, which was already full of endless diversions.
Qi Jinglong muttered to himself, "Could it be that your Destiny Porcelain is now in the hands of some major sect in Beiju Luzhou? If so, you need to be cautious today, doubly cautious. The higher your realm becomes in the future, the more careful you'll have to be."
Qi Jinglong felt a heavy heart. If it were in the prosperous Ai Ai Zhou, where everything could be settled with money, things would be much more complicated in Beiju Luzhou. For an outsider to try to reason in Beiju Luzhou was even harder.
Qi Jinglong certainly wouldn't mind standing by Chen Ping'an's side. The cost would be either he would be expelled from the Tai Hui Sword Sect from then on, or he would bring down the reputation of the Tai Hui Sword Sect.
And once he, Qi Jinglong, got involved, the troublesome matter would become even more troublesome.
It might even attract more Sword Immortals from all sides who originally chose to stand by and watch.
This was the terrifying aspect of the rules.
Beiju Luzhou liked to band together. When a matter could be either right or wrong, not involving absolute good or evil, if an outsider tried to rely on their status, that in itself was wrong. For the many Sword Immortals of Beiju Luzhou, that meant you were asking for their sword. Historically, the head of the Liu family of Ai Ai Zhou and the Daoists of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Heavenly Master Mansion had both tried to land in Beiju Luzhou to personally investigate a murderer. What was the result? Over a dozen upper-five-realm Sword Immortals blocked them there. No one called for reinforcements; they all gathered spontaneously at the seaside, hovering on their flying swords, without exception. They wouldn't say a single word to you. They would only draw their swords.
Regarding this, transcendent figures like True Dragon Fire Immortal never interfered. Even though True Dragon Fire Immortal was highly likely to be an external Grand Heavenly Master of the legendary Dragon Tiger Mountain, he never stepped forward to mediate or plead.
And once a battle started, the moment a Sword Immortal chose to deliver the first sword, from then on, it was a fight to the death.
For every Sword Immortal who died on the battlefield, two more might soon arrive.
This was why Beiju Luzhou, despite being located in the northeast, had forcefully snatched the character "North (Bei)" from Ai Ai Zhou.
Not convinced?
After a major grudge back then, voices in the vast Ai Ai Zhou were filled with indignation, hurling reckless insults at the cultivators of Beiju Luzhou. Some grand cultivators of Ai Ai Zhou even loudly reviled the Lu Zhou sword cultivators who had died fighting on the Sword Qi Great Wall. Not only that, but they also threatened to expel all Lu Zhou cultivators from their lands.
Then, the over two hundred sword cultivators of what was then Northeast Beiju Luzhou prepared for a long-distance sword flight to Ai Ai Zhou. Among them were ten upper-five-realm sword cultivators.
Before setting out, this group of sword cultivators didn't utter a single harsh word towards Ai Ai Zhou. They simply set off together on their journey across the continent.
Half of the upper-five-realm sword cultivators among them had tempered their swords on the Sword Qi Great Wall.
When Ai Ai Zhou suddenly learned that the two hundred Lu Zhou sword cultivators were only three thousand li from the coast, almost all the sect-lead immortal families were on the verge of collapse.
Because the other party declared they would challenge every sect in Ai Ai Zhou, one by one, from east to west, patiently. Everyone would get their turn. As for the "North" character in Ai Ai Zhou's name, since you valued it so much, you could keep it.
Besides this group of "territory-expanding" sword cultivators, there were also a steady stream of other sword cultivators heading west.
In the end, it was an old scholar who blocked their way.
No one knows exactly what that old scholar said to the over two hundred sword cultivators.
But in the end, the Beiju Luzhou sword cultivators did not land in force and chose to withdraw back to their continent.
However, after that, Ai Ai Zhou no longer had the character "North (Bei)".
Recalling these old stories, even though he hadn't experienced them himself and could only hear about them from the seniors of his sect, Qi Jinglong felt his spirit drawn to them.
But both of the Tai Hui Sword Sect's two Sword Immortals were among those who made the cross-continental journey, yet they were unwilling to talk much about it.
Qi Jinglong had only heard some old members of the sect mention that the two Sword Immortals had argued over who should guard the sect and who should cross the continent to wield their swords. The gist of it was one saying, "You are the sect leader, you should stay," and the other saying, "Your swordsmanship isn't as good as mine; don't go and embarrass us."
Qi Jinglong began to repeatedly deliberate on various possibilities.
The best and the worst, and all the possibilities in between.
This was exactly the same vein as Chen Ping'an's approach to large and small predicaments.
But as Qi Jinglong thought it over, he felt that this was a complex situation that could potentially involve all parties.
So Qi Jinglong planned to gather more information first.
When it came to helping out of goodwill, one important thing was not to cause trouble for others.
Qi Jinglong sat back down.
The Qiong Lin Sect would be a good entry point.
Because this sect, with its abundant financial resources, was a very mixed bag. Inquiring about their information wouldn't alarm the snake.
Also, there was a sect that had been on good terms with the Tai Hui Sword Sect for generations. It was said that they had once dealt in the Destiny Porcelain of the Li Zhu Cave Heaven. He could try to sound them out indirectly.
Furthermore, Qi Jinglong had some other ideas.
It was, after all, a matter of advancing step by step, pursuing a "slow but error-free" approach, seeking stability and victory.
After roughly establishing a line of thought, Qi Jinglong poured himself a cup of tea.
Among the current top ten young cultivators of Beiju Luzhou.
Qi Jinglong was, of course, very familiar with the Yang Ningzhen and Yang Ningxing brothers of the Chongxuan Bureau, both of whom were Innate Dao Embryos.
Especially Yang Ningzhen, who had taken up martial arts. He was one who liked to split hairs.
Yang Ningxing was ranked ninth, and his elder brother Yang Ningzhen was at the bottom. But in truth, Yang Ningzhen's ranking could move up a few places.
Ranked fourth, just behind Qi Jinglong, was a man named Huang Xi.
He was a wild cultivator of the mountains and marshes, the youngest wild Nascent Soul in the history of Beiju Luzhou. He was the kind of terrifying cultivator who could slowly grind his opponents to death. Even a Jade Pure realm sword cultivator would find it extremely difficult to kill him. He relied not only on divine abilities and techniques but also on a semi-immortal weapon he had obtained by carving a bloody path, and another semi-immortal weapon he had "found" through early opportunities—one for offense, one for defense. Moreover, this person had a gloomy temperament, was extremely deep, and held grudges. He was known as Beiju Luzhou's local Jiang Shangzhen.
Once, during a revenge mission, he single-handedly slaughtered an entire second-rate immortal sect, leaving no survivors.
The terrifying thing was that he didn't choose to storm the mountain gate openly. Instead, he infiltrated three times, calculating human nature to a terrifying degree.
By the time a Jade Pure realm Sword Immortal led a crowd to the scene, he had just left. The old founding master of that immortal sect breathed his last breath at that moment. His Golden Core was stripped, and his original Nascent Soul was lit like a lamp, placed on the roof of the Ancestral Hall, burning fiercely.
On the mountain and down the mountain, there were lantern after lantern of the cultivators' Original Souls, burning continuously. Some went out, turning to ashes; others still had residual souls remaining.
An immortal mountain once brimming with spiritual energy now had an eerie, ghostly atmosphere.
Qi Jinglong had dealt with him once.
Qi Jinglong had even drawn his sword.
But that man fought and retreated, even speaking some heartfelt words to Qi Jinglong, and revealing some mountain secrets that Qi Jinglong had never heard before.
One of them, about distraction, was a warning from this man.
This wild cultivator was named Huang Xi.
Huang Xi had also done some inexplicable feats. In short, this person's actions were never clearly right or wrong.
The two before him, Qi Jinglong.
The first one, he didn't think about too much.
As long as he was willing to make a move, the opponent was already doomed. Even if they were a realm higher, it would be no exception.
This was still without him ever using those bound immortal weapons.
Even for someone like Qi Jinglong, he couldn't help but feel a sense of reverence. However, Qi Jinglong wouldn't become disheartened because of this.
On the Great Dao, there are always higher mountains beyond mountains; it had always been this way.
And Qi Jinglong firmly believed that as long as the gap between him and the first place wasn't too wide, he would have a chance to catch up.
As for the second person, his name was Xu Xuan.
Before this person was even born, several sect-lead immortal families were already lying in wait. It was said that even transcendent figures from the Central Earth Divine Continent were spying on him.
There was bound to be a deep entanglement involved.
On Xu Xuan's path of cultivation, the final Destiny Objects of the Five Elements he refined were considered unparalleled in their wonder, with a grandeur that was spectacular.
He had two close maidservants. One specialized in holding his saber for him, the saber named "Ke Zhu." The other was in charge of holding his sword, the sword named "Fu He."
He was the only disciple of Bai Chang, the number one Sword Immortal in northern Beiju Luzhou.
Thus, Xu Xuan was both this Sword Immortal's senior disciple and his closed-door disciple.
There weren't many rumors about Xu Xuan.
But every single one was shocking and extraordinary.
For example, he was actually half-owner of the Qiong Lin Sect, and the Qiong Lin Sect's business had already reached Baoping Zhou, and even Tongye Zhou.
Another of his aspirations was to defeat his master, Bai Chang.
One of the most recent earth-shattering rumors was that Xu Xuan wished to form a Dao companion relationship with the female sect leader of the Qing Liang Sect, He Xiaoliang. If she agreed, he, Xu Xuan, would be willing to leave his sect and join the Qing Liang Sect.
But regardless of the disciple vowing to defeat his master or leave the sect, the great Sword Immortal Bai Chang remained unmoved. However, it was said that Bai Chang was currently in seclusion, attempting to break through the bottleneck of the Immortal realm. This should be the reason Bai Chang hadn't gone to Dao Xuan Mountain together. No one would question Bai Chang's spirit. Throughout his life, Bai Chang had twice thrown himself onto the city walls of the Sword Qi Great Wall, spending nearly seventy years there.
Because Xu Xuan had never actually fought, Beiju Luzhou still couldn't determine whether this person was a sword cultivator at all, let alone what his original flying sword might be like.
But no one questioned Xu Xuan's position as the number two young cultivator.
Because whenever Xu Xuan broke through a realm—successively entering the Cave Dwelling realm, forming his Golden Core, and reaching the Nascent Soul stage—each of these three major cultivator thresholds was accompanied by magnificent and spectacular phenomena.
Some said Xu Xuan had actually already entered the upper five realms, but Bai Chang personally suppressed all the phenomena.
And Xu Xuan was the youngest among the ten.
He was even three years younger than Huang Xi, who ranked fourth.
Only then came Liu Jinglong of the Tai Hui Sword Sect.
The fifth was a female martial artist. If Yang Ningzhen wasn't counted, she was the only pure martial artist on the list.
The sixth had already died suddenly. His sect investigated for over a decade without any results.
The seventh fought someone at Di Li Mountain, resulting in mutual destruction. Damage was done to the foundation. So-called membership among the ten was already in name only.
His opponent was an aged Nascent Soul sword cultivator from a hostile sect, who clearly intended to use one life of his to destroy the future path of this young genius.
Since it was clearly a trap, and he still couldn't resist accepting the challenge, this was the consequence. The Great Dao has never been merciful.
The eighth was the Immortal Lu of the Shui Jing Mountain.
But now there were rumors that several newly emerged cultivators on the mountains were fully qualified to join the ranks of the ten, and their rankings might even be quite high.
Qi Jinglong opened some calligraphy copybooks and painting collections.
Recently, he had been studying the seal-script brush meaning and the "eight-direction tip exposure" in cursive script copybooks.
This was practicing the sword.
Observing the freehand brushwork and line drawings in famous paintings was also practicing the sword.
When reading a book, coming across a line like "green moss retains bird tracks like seal script" was also a form of sword intent.
Qi Jinglong had always believed that his so-called "reasoning" would be a process from complex to simple, a matter of course.
Just like reading a book, first making it thick, then making it thin. In the end, only a few key phrases might remain, which could accompany one for life, benefiting one for life.
And supporting the fundamental principles of all knowledge, like the pillars and beams of a house, supporting each other without conflicting. In the end, the Dao heart would be like the Jade Capital, layer after layer rising high into the sea of clouds. Not only that, but the footprint of the house could also be expanded. As the mastered rules grew larger, the so-called "limited freedom" would naturally and infinitely approach absolute freedom.
In the dead of night, Qi Jinglong was reading under a lamp.
Everyone thought he was being distracted.
Fortunately, there were still those who didn't think so.
---
A figure in a blue robe was walking upstream along a great river.
It was early autumn. That day, in the bustling market town, Chen Ping'an found a long-established restaurant and ordered a hotpot, a signature dish.
Many martial world heroes were loudly enjoying themselves, sweating profusely, yet still wielding their chopsticks as if flying.
One of them, perhaps a martial artist who had studied some books, was very drunk. Out of nowhere, he said a sentence.
Which made Chen Ping'an order an extra pot of wine.
That person said, "The boiling oil pot that the weak crowd around is the very hotpot the strong enjoy at their table."
Chen Ping'an drank wine from a large bowl. He felt that Old Senior Song was right. Hotpot with wine—this was a flavor found nowhere else in the world.