Chapter 528: Present and Future of Bottle Gourd Continent

Chapter 528: Present and Future of Bottle Gourd Continent

The sage Ruan Qiong, who had been missing for a long time, finally returned home. He first went to the shop by Dragon Beard River, visited his disciple Xu Xiaoqiao, and then, before heading to Divine Show Mountain, the main peak of the Dragon Abyss Sword Sect, he casually tossed two unruly spirit beasts that were attached to a celestial official residence in the western mountains out of his domain. Only then did Ruan Qiong return to his own mountain. He called together the twelve disciples he had taken on after Dong Gu and Xu Xiaoqiao, and had his second senior brother Dong Gu assemble them to perform their sword techniques one by one. Throughout, Ruan Qiong remained expressionless and offered no guidance on specific sword arts to these nominal disciples. He sat on a bench, watched them finish, then got up to forge swords. This left the originally spirited nominal disciples feeling anxious and uneasy.

The senior sister, who favored wearing green clothes, never appeared at all.

Fourth senior brother Xie Ling was present. He sighed and then returned to his residence to continue his cultivation.

As soon as Ruan Qiong appeared, people continuously flocked to the Dragon Abyss Sword Sect, hoping to be favored by this sect-level celestial clan.

Among them were young scions escorted by powerful and influential families of Great Li, teenage boys and girls who had come alone, and many wandering cultivators from the mountains and swamps who aspired to become guest elders or retainers of the sect.

It was a mixed bag.

This caused Dong Gu, Ruan Qiong's nominal eldest disciple, no end of annoyance.

Dong Gu had to act as half a teacher to impart knowledge to the twelve younger fellow disciples who had not yet been officially recorded in the ancestral hall's register, while also managing all the large and small affairs of the sect. Moreover, these twelve had been cultivating at the Dragon Abyss Sword Sect for some time, and they all had a general understanding of each other's aptitude and talent. As human nature gradually revealed itself, some, believing their sword talent inferior to others, diverted their attention to interpersonal relationships; some trained hard but could not find the right method, making slow progress in swordsmanship; some were respectful and humble on the mountain but liked to flaunt their status as disciples of the Sword Sect once they descended; and there was that innate sword embryo whose cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, far surpassing his peers, who had privately asked Dong Gu to teach him an additional superior sword technique from the Snow Wind Temple.

As for the celestial clans that had built their residences in the western mountains, they frequently visited Divine Show Mountain, which naturally required Dong Gu to come forward and manage those relations—a task that consumed much energy and time. Senior sister Ruan Xiu would certainly not bother with it; junior sister Xu Xiaoqiao had a cold temperament and was naturally averse to socializing; and Xie Ling was even less willing to put on a smiling face and say pleasantries.

If the Dragon Abyss Sword Sect did not have to worry about financial matters, Dong Gu would have wanted to go back on his word and proactively ask his master Ruan Qiong for permission to open a new peak so that he could legitimately go into seclusion for cultivation. He had set a rule for himself: to reach the Nascent Soul stage within a hundred years. After all, unlike Xu Xiaoqiao, who had long been one of the sword cultivators of the Snow Wind Temple, Dong Gu, though listed as the founding eldest disciple in the Dragon Abyss Sword Sect's register, was not a sword cultivator. This was actually a matter that went against the rules.

Ruan Qiong did not mind, but Dong Gu felt extremely guilty about it. So he came up with the clumsiest method: since he was not a sword cultivator, he would make up for it with cultivation realm.

As for junior brother Xie Ling, he had already nurtured a lifebound flying sword and was now warming and nourishing it. Moreover, Xie Ling's ancestor, Xie Shi, the Celestial Lord of Northern Juju Continent who had displayed the demeanor of one man suppressing an entire continent, had bestowed upon this descendant of Peach Leaf Lane two heavy treasures from the mountains. One was a relic of a sword immortal from Northern Juju Continent, named "Peach Leaf," which Xie Ling had refined into his lifebound object. This was a lifebound flying sword left behind in the human world after that sword immortal had undergone military dissolution. Although it was not Xie Ling's own lifebound flying sword, once refined as a lifebound object, the power of a sword immortal's relic could be imagined.

The other was a sword-nourishing gourd named "Full Moon," of extremely high quality.

Dong Gu knew full well that junior brother Xie Ling did not really see him as a senior brother. This was not to say that Xie Ling, relying on his family background, was arrogant and overbearing. On the contrary, Xie Ling showed no disrespect to Dong Gu and had no contempt for Dong Gu's true identity. In daily matters, whenever Xie Ling could help, he never shirked. During some critical periods of Dong Gu's cultivation after reaching the Golden Core stage, Xie Ling would take the initiative to teach sword techniques on his behalf. This long-browed son of the Xie family was impeccable in every way.

However, Xie Ling's innate talent and opportunities were simply too good. On the mountain, his eyes were only on Ruan Xiu; off the mountain, Xie Ling only focused on a handful of young people, including Ma Kuxuan.

At the realms of Dong Gu and Xie Ling, the food and drink on the mountain were no longer common grains. They mostly followed the carefully compiled recipes of the Medicine School, one of the Hundred Schools of Thought, to prepare their three daily meals. This actually cost a great deal of celestial money.

But the Dragon Abyss Sword Sect had a large enterprise and few disciples. Ruan Qiong was also the foremost chief retainer of the Great Li dynasty and received a substantial stipend as a celestial master from the imperial court each year. As for Dong Gu, being at the Golden Core stage and having traveled through the Letter and Bamboo Lake in his early years, he had earned a considerable merit without doing much, and later received a Peaceful Nothingness Token issued by the Ministry of Punishments. He was also nominally registered with the Great Li Sticky Pole Corps, so he also received a substantial official salary.

One day, Ruan Qiong left the sword furnace, personally prepared a table of dishes, and summoned only Dong Gu.

As soon as Dong Gu saw the dishes, which were typical of common households, he knew that the senior sister would definitely come.

Sure enough, Ruan Xiu soon entered the room. She helped herself to rice and sat down beside Ruan Qiong. Dong Gu naturally sat with his back to the door, facing his master.

"Eat slowly, no one's going to snatch it from you."

Ruan Qiong naturally added a piece of braised pork belly to his daughter's bowl, then said to Dong Gu, "I heard the former prefectural governor, Wu Yuan, has been transferred out of New Province?"

Dong Gu immediately put down his chopsticks and replied respectfully, "After Dragon Abyss County was upgraded to Dragon Province, this disciple of the National Master did not follow the usual procedure to become the Dragon Province governor. Instead, he was transferred laterally to the south of Viewing Lake Academy, in the territory of the former Zhu Ying dynasty. He will continue to serve as a prefectural governor near the foot of the new Central Mountain of Great Li."

Everyone speculated that Wu Yuan had been entrusted with great expectations by the National Master back then to be the first to expand territory here. Unexpectedly, he was sidelined by the four major surnames and ten major clans of the small town, suffering many subtle setbacks. Although he later rose from county magistrate to prefectural governor, the National Master had long been dissatisfied. So this time, when the county was upgraded to a province, Wu Yuan, who had labored without significant credit, was seemingly transferred laterally but in reality demoted to a foreign land.

Dragon Abyss County's upgrade to Dragon Province covered a vast area, governing four counties: Celadon, Rich Creek, Three Rivers, and Incense Fire.

The small town still belonged to Pagoda Tree Yellow County.

Magistrate Yuan was now smoothly promoted to be the governor of Celadon County. The dragon kiln supervisor, Director Cao, remained in his original post, but the Ministry of Rites quietly adjusted the official rank of the supervisor to be equivalent to a prefectural governor. So these two young talents from the surname families of Pillar of State had both been promoted, one openly and the other inconspicuously.

The Dragon Province governor was an outsider in the Great Li officialdom, from the vassal state Huangting Kingdom. His name was Wei Li, of humble birth. In the Huangting Kingdom, his official rank was merely a modest fourth-rank prefectural governor, but in Great Li, he became a true regional satrap. This surprised the Great Li court. Later, a rumor circulated in the capital that the Minister of Personnel of Great Li had personally selected him, so there was no dispute. Such an extraordinary promotion of a vassal official to a high-ranking local post in Great Li—was it against ritual protocol? Anyway, the Emperor did not say anything, and the Ministry of Rites did not cause a stir. Who would dare to jump around? Did they think the old Minister Guan was a vegetarian? There were few Great Li officials who could argue with National Master Cui and still win.

Besides changes in officialdom, the three city gods at the provincial, prefectural, and county levels had also been decided. The city gods at the prefectural and county levels were local heroes recommended by the two neighboring provinces. Although they had long been registered with the Great Li Ministry of Rites as candidates for local Confucian temples, city god positions, and mountain and river deities, they were generally destined for less desirable posts. But this time, they were unexpectedly assigned to the jurisdiction of Dragon Province, all receiving enviably lucrative positions.

As for the first provincial city god of Dragon Province, with the highest divine rank, his appointment also caused a stir in the Great Li officialdom. Many high-ranking officials at the center were watching for the jokes of the two Pillar of State families, Yuan and Cao.

Because the provincial city god was not a candidate recommended by the two surnames, but a minor earth god from a small shrine called Mantou Mountain, located at the confluence of the Embroidery and Chongdan Rivers.

Ruan Qiong said slowly, "Wu Yuan leaving Great Li proper may not be a bad thing."

Dong Gu was not very clear about the inside story of the Great Li court, so he dared not speak recklessly.

However, Dong Gu still regretted Wu Yuan's departure, because this young governor was very good at handling people, and Dong Gu appreciated the way he interacted with the Dragon Abyss Sword Sect.

Fortunately, the new governor of Rich Creek County was named Fu Yu. He had been the assistant official who first followed Wu Yuan into the county yamen of the small town, originally a secretarial secretary. It was only when this man stepped out from behind the scenes that many colleagues who had worked with him for years were surprised to discover that this Governor Fu was actually from the main branch of the Fu family, a powerful clan of Great Li, one of the great families outside the Pillar of State surnames.

After Fu Yu was promoted to governor of Rich Creek County, he quickly visited the Dragon Abyss Sword Sect. Dong Gu had a pleasant conversation with him, which was a good thing.

Ruan Qiong said, "From now on, don't bother with the comings and goings on the mountain. If you don't refuse such tasks, you'll be busy with them forever. How will you cultivate then? The foundation of the Dragon Abyss Sword Sect is not about how well you handle people."

Ruan Qiong glanced at Dong Gu, who was somewhat uneasy, probably mistakenly thinking that his master was dissatisfied with him, his eldest disciple.

Ruan Qiong rarely showed a smile. "I took you as my disciple not to have you do chores. Cultivation has its mountain and its foothill aspects. You're now half a member of the Sticky Pole Corps. Whenever you encounter a small bottleneck on the mountain, don't stay there grinding away. Use the opportunity to go out and gain experience. Usually, take the initiative to exchange letters with the Great Li Ministry of Punishments. The world on Bottle Gourd Continent is chaotic now. After you go down the mountain, you might even bring back a few disciples. Next time, make arrangements with the Ministry of Punishments first. Go to Gan Province once. No matter what, you still need to cultivate relations with the Snow Wind Temple."

Dong Gu felt relieved and nodded.

He was filled with gratitude toward this master.

The master's few words not only reduced his pressure but also carried profound meaning in imparting knowledge. More importantly, they indirectly ensured that he would gain recognition from the cultivators of the Snow Wind Temple.

Ruan Qiong suddenly picked up his chopsticks and tapped away his daughter's chopsticks as she reached for the last piece of braised pork belly. "Leave some for Dong Gu."

By this time, Ruan Xiu had already eaten who-knows-how-many bowls of rice.

Dong Gu didn't dare to laugh.

Ruan Qiong said to Dong Gu, "What do you think of those twelve nominal disciples?"

Dong Gu then described the talents and temperamental strengths and weaknesses of each of the twelve.

Ruan Qiong looked at his daughter.

Ruan Xiu had just picked up a big mouthful of vegetables. She gently shook them, reducing the amount.

Ruan Qiong eyed the nearly empty dish and simply pushed it in front of her.

Ruan Xiu smiled and asked, "Dad, why aren't you drinking today?"

Ruan Qiong shook his head, then suddenly said, "When you go to cultivate in a thatched hut on Dragon Ridge Mountain in the future, remember not to get into conflict with the cultivators of True Martial Mountain. Also, no matter what strange things you encounter, don't be surprised. I have things under control."

Ruan Xiu nodded.

Ruan Qiong then asked about the recent situation in Great Li.

The Dragon Abyss Sword Sect had the most detailed mountain and river gazettes on Bottle Gourd Continent, compiled by the Great Li imperial court and delivered regularly to Cloak Cloud Mountain and Divine Show Mountain in Dragon Province.

Ruan Qiong said out of the blue, "Actually, back then, the disciple I most wanted to take was that Liu Xianyang."

Dong Gu had heard of this person.

He was Chen Ping'an's best friend from Mud Vase Alley.

He had nearly died under the hand of the Moving Mountain Old Ape of Sunny Mountain.

Because of this, Liu Xianyang and Chen Ping'an had forged a mortal enmity with Sunny Mountain and the Xu clan of Clear Wind City.

The Xu clan had sold their already-built celestial mansion cheaply to the Great Li court back then, not without some fear of Chen Ping'an. Later, the Xu clan of Clear Wind City changed their tune and took some remedial measures, marrying a legitimate daughter off to a concubine-born son of the Pillar of State Yuan family, and also contributing money and effort to help the Yuan family's younger generation control an iron cavalry force on the border.

After all, no one could have imagined that the youth from Mud Vase Alley could have come this far step by step.

Ruan Qiong and Dong Gu only symbolically ate a few bites of food.

Then the master and disciple began to take a walk.

Dong Gu said softly, "Mountain god Wei Li held another Night Parade Banquet. The shop left by the Burden Satchel at Ox Horn Mountain ferry has reopened. The items for sale are all gifts brought by mountain and river deities and cultivators from various places."

Ruan Qiong smiled and said, "It seems that Fallen Mountain is quite short of money."

Compared to Dong Gu at the Golden Core stage, Ruan Qiong was not only at the Jade Purity stage but also a seated sage, so he saw things from a higher and more comprehensive perspective. Wei Li's breakthrough this time was without any bottlenecks. To be precise, the bottleneck for Wei Li to enter the upper five realms had long been broken by someone else, and it was broken very cleverly and covertly. Ruan Qiong only reached this conclusion after long observation. What Wei Li sought was an even more flawless Jade Purity realm, which was within easy reach, rather than whether he could break through.

So that person's bamboo knife strike at Chess Pier Mountain was very precise.

Ruan Qiong felt a melancholy in his heart.

In general, for great sword immortals, the level of their sword techniques and the amount of their sword intent, those who were slightly inferior in realm—upper five-realm sword cultivators—could still vaguely see the approximate gap.

But some people's strikes could only be fully appreciated many years later.

The force was extremely great but not overtly displayed.

In the final analysis, it might be that the sword still had to fall on the human heart to show its power.

Ruan Qiong hoped that one day in the future, the Dragon Abyss Sword Sect could produce such a sword cultivator, even if it came a little later.

Dong Gu soon took his leave.

Ruan Qiong gazed into the distance.

In the Northern March region, the dragon-rising land of Great Li, Wei Li, the Northern March mountain god, was the only mountain or river deity on Bottle Gourd Continent who could contend with him. It was not the Central March but the Southern March—a female mountain god.

Now, the Central March of Great Li was the former Central March of the Zhu Ying dynasty. The mountain's main deity remained, having turned misfortune into fortune, becoming the Central March of the entire Bottle Gourd Continent.

The Mohist wandering knight, sword cultivator Xu Ruo, was still stationed on the mountain, living next to the Central March deity.

What Ruan Qiong was staring at was the new Western March, Gan Province Mountain. Because it was not far from the Snow Wind Temple, and because Gan Province Mountain had never been part of the Five Marches of any dynasty, Ruan Qiong's journey there was the most relaxed. So this foremost sword forger of Bottle Gourd Continent also took the opportunity to visit the Snow Wind Temple to catch up with sect elders and fellow disciples. This was actually the Great Li new emperor deliberately gifting a dragon-supporting merit to the Dragon Abyss Sword Sect.

Compared to the undercurrents and deadly crises on Xu Ruo's side, Ruan Qiong had nothing weighing on him. On the contrary, over by Great Li's new Eastern March, Qi Mountain, the fighting was fierce and chaotic. Most of Great Li's top-rank retainers, all Golden Core or Nascent Soul earth immortals, participated in a brutally bloody battle during the Great Li canonization ceremony for the mountains. Cultivators from all over, from every direction, swarmed in, trying to kill their way up the mountain and slay the Great Li envoys. In the end, even the new emperor's canonization document, sealed with gold mud and silver cords and stamped with the imperial seal, was nearly shattered by an enemy Nascent Soul cultivator. After repelling those cultivators, the Great Li retainers also suffered heavy casualties.

Later, the Right Vice Minister of the Great Li Ministry of Rites went on a tour of inspection on behalf of the emperor, setting up an obvious trap for a siege. Yet another wave of cultivators from various destroyed kingdoms still walked into the trap, dying heroically. This caused extreme chaos in the spiritual energy for a thousand li around the new Eastern March, Qi Mountain. Thereafter, there were sporadic disturbances from cultivators, but despite all the hardships, Qi Mountain became the new Eastern March of Great Li, with the presiding deity being one of the old Five Marches of Great Li.

An even greater matter than the canonization of the Five Marches was that Great Li had already begun selecting a site in the southern part of Bottle Gourd Continent to build a secondary capital.

Song Ji Xin had been enfeoffed as a vassal prince in Old Dragon City. Once the secondary capital was completed, Song Ji Xin, whose name in the Imperial Clan Court register was Song Mu, would remotely govern the secondary capital.

One of the candidate sites was the old capital of the Zhu Ying dynasty. The advantage was that it would not consume much national strength. The obvious disadvantage was that it was too close to Viewing Lake Academy. As for the more hidden court taboos, it was naturally that some people did not want the new vassal prince Song Mu, by connecting the secondary capital and Old Dragon City, to encompass half of Bottle Gourd Continent in one fell swoop.

However, the Great Li court had not yet made a final decision on the site.

As the chief retainer of Great Li, Ruan Qiong could offer advice, and the new emperor of the Song clan would certainly listen. But Ruan Qiong would only remain silent.

Ruan Xiu appeared beside Ruan Qiong.

Having just returned from a trip to the Snow Wind Temple, Ruan Qiong said softly, "When I was young, the teachers and elders at the Snow Wind Temple all felt that the world wouldn't change much, so we just needed to cultivate well. We younger ones had similar thoughts. Now all the old people are sighing, saying they can no longer see clearly what Bottle Gourd Continent will be like in just a few decades. Xiu Xiu, do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing?"

Ruan Xiu thought for a moment and gave a non-answer, "The Dragon Abyss Sword Sect lacks a cave heaven and blessed land of its own."

Ruan Qiong's expression became serious. Using the divine abilities of a sage, he isolated a small world and said, "Two things. First, back then, the Dragon Slaying Platform cliff on Dragon Ridge Mountain was split into three parts, belonging to our Dragon Abyss Sword Sect, the Snow Wind Temple, and True Martial Mountain. But you might not be fully aware that the Dragon Slaying Platform under the care and mining of the Snow Wind Temple is actually almost an empty shell. I have been pretending not to see it. So when I visited the old master of the Snow Wind Temple this time and mentioned it, the master only told me not to worry about it, which is tantamount to tacitly acknowledging that the Dragon Slaying Platform has vanished without a trace. So when you go there to cultivate in a thatched hut, you don't need to pay attention to this matter either."

"Second, regarding the cave heaven and blessed land you mentioned, it's actually possible to do business over at Yang's Shop. There are ready-made ones, but the price will probably be difficult to accept. Actually, the price is still negotiable; even if we have to go into debt, it's fine."

Having said this, Ruan Qiong looked at his daughter with worry, "Dad still doesn't want to stir up any unnecessary trouble."

In the end, it was still that he didn't want Ruan Xiu to enter the game too early.

Everything Ruan Qiong had done—leaving the Snow Wind Temple, paying the price of diminishing his cultivation to serve as the seated sage of Pear Blossom Cave Heaven, then establishing his own sect and accepting the invitation from the Song clan of Great Li to be a retainer—all of it was for his daughter.

But Ruan Xiu said, "Dad, it's fine. Do you understand Old Man Yang's temperament?"

Ruan Qiong smiled and said, "Dad really doesn't."

Apart from Qi Jingchun, in the history of Pear Blossom Cave Heaven, among the various sages from the Three Teachings and One School who had been stationed there, probably no one dared to claim they truly understood the thoughts of that old man.

Ruan Qiong was certainly no exception.

Ruan Xiu gazed toward the small town, took out an embroidered handkerchief, picked up a piece of pastry, and said indistinctly, "It's very simple: whoever is more pure, whoever shows the most hope of going higher—Old Man Yang places his heaviest bet on that person. I think I'm not bad, so Dad can give it a try. As for how to quote a price, it might be best to say to that old senior: 'We'll take any ready-made cave heaven and blessed land, no matter how big. The Dragon Abyss Sword Sect will have it. As for what Ruan Xiu needs to do in the future, that depends on Ruan Xiu's mood.'"

Ruan Qiong asked doubtfully, "Will that work?"

Ruan Xiu squinted and smiled, probably in a good mood because the pastry tasted good. She clapped her hands and said, "Let's give it a try."

Ruan Qiong hesitated for a moment, "Really talk like that?"

Ruan Xiu nodded.

She was about to reach out her hand.

But Ruan Qiong had already used his sage divine ability and silently appeared in the back courtyard of Yang's Shop.

Ruan Xiu sighed. She had wished her father would bring back some pastries.

In less than half an incense stick's time, Ruan Qiong returned to Divine Show Mountain with a strange expression on his face. He looked at his daughter, shook his head, and said with emotion, "Could it really be that there are pies falling from the sky?"

When doing business with Old Man Yang, one thing was guaranteed, even more reliable than any mountain or river oath in the world: whatever this old senior said, it was accurate. There was no need for any doubt.

Ruan Xiu glanced at the sky and thought to herself, it would be nice if some pastries fell down.

---

At the southernmost tip of Bottle Gourd Continent, Old Dragon City, after two major events—Fu Nanhua marrying the legitimate daughter of the Yunlin Jiang clan and the city lord battling a ninth-grade martial artist—it seemed like cultivators only had a moment to catch their breath before an even bigger event arrived.

Song Mu, the full-blooded younger brother of the current Great Li Emperor, had become the most prominent and powerful vassal prince of the Song clan. He was precisely enfeoffed to Old Dragon City. The other sons of the former emperor also received their own vassal titles, but they were all three-character princes. They left Great Li for various destroyed kingdoms, establishing their own domains. However, they were far inferior to Song Mu, a one-character equal prince, whose glory was astonishing.

For Old Dragon City, which had long been accustomed to freedom and laxity, this should have been bad news. Yet the Fu family and several other major families seemed to have long communicated with the Great Li court. Not only was there no resistance or opposition, but they had actually been doing thriving business on the vast territory north of Old Dragon City and south of Zhu Ying dynasty. Moreover, compared to the previous state of each operating independently with clear boundaries, these major families of Old Dragon City had begun to cooperate. For example, the Fan family had become close to the Sun family. Whether it was one or another making plans to earn money, the only common point was that all the trade routes of these Old Dragon City major families had Great Li helping to clear the way. As long as they held the Peaceful Nothingness Token, they could seek help from all Great Li iron cavalry and Song clan vassal states along the way.

So when the Fu family ceded half of the inner city of Old Dragon City to serve as Song Mu's vassal prince mansion, no one found it strange anymore.

However, as a hub and important location for the entire continent, Old Dragon City's business was initially affected to a certain extent. Quite a few cultivators who regarded Old Dragon City as a paradise and a money pit quietly left to wait and see. But when the Tongye Sect and Yugui Sect from the southern continent successively declared their positions, business in Old Dragon City quickly returned to its peak. It flourished and even surpassed its previous state. Especially after Song Mu took up residence in Old Dragon City without changing the status quo, many cultivators returned to the city to continue enjoying themselves.

One day, a young man who had taken off his vassal prince's python robe left his mansion, accompanied by a maidservant, heading toward a medicine shop in a humble alley in the outer city.

There were no attendants, because none were needed.

A four-legged snake with a horn on its head was curled up in the young man's sleeve.

Moreover, the patriarch of the Fu family of Old Dragon City was effectively his personal retainer.

The medicine shop, which had been closed for several years, had just reopened. The shopkeeper was an old man, along with a white-clad young man with a mole between his eyebrows. His handsome features were almost unreal. He was accompanied by a seemingly simple-minded child, who also had rosy lips and white teeth but with unfocused eyes and unable to speak. Such a shame.

Song Ji Xin walked into the alley. The autumn air was cool. His maidservant, Zhi Gui, looked even more radiant.

When the master and servant crossed the threshold of the medicine shop, the old shopkeeper, who had just arrived and did not recognize the young gentleman's identity, smiled and asked, "Are you here to buy medicine? Feel free to browse, honored guest. The prices are all written down."

Song Ji Xin frowned, glanced at the old man, and began selecting herbs.

Zhi Gui herself moved a stool from the shop and sat at the door.

The old man smiled. These two little ones certainly didn't stand on ceremony.

He was now fearless and dared to swagger across the entire Bottle Gourd Continent—provided, of course, that he stayed by the side of that white-clad youth.

This old shopkeeper was none other than Chen Xiaoyong, the Glass Immortal, who had failed in his scheme at Rouge County in the Rainbow Garment Kingdom. Not only had he failed to obtain the City God's Heavenly Master Seal hidden by the Gold City God Shen Wen, but he had nearly perished, and his Glass Lamp had almost been lost. Fortunately, neither the National Master nor the Green Wave Pavilion had held his minor oversight against him. That was only natural. The Great National Master Cui was a figure at the peak of the continent, with his sights set on annexing the entire land. How could he care about the gain or loss of a single thing in a single place at a single time? However, when that white-clad youth found Chen Xiaoyong's hiding place, the Glass Immortal was severely taken advantage of. How miserably? So miserably that every ounce of his cunning had been thoroughly exploited by the other party. Now, he only knew that this "young man" named Cui was the person in charge of all of Great Li's southern spies and death warriors.

Ripples stirred in Song Ji Xin's heart lake. Receiving that sentence, he began walking toward the back courtyard of the medicine shop.

As soon as he lifted the bamboo curtain, the Glass Immortal quickly said, "Honored guest, you can't go in the back."

Song Ji Xin smiled and said, "My name is Song Mu."

The Glass Immortal thought for a moment, smiled awkwardly, and said, "Please make yourself at home, honored guest."

Song Ji Xin turned his head toward the door and asked, "Not coming together?"

Zhi Gui turned her head and smiled, "I'll pass."

In this life, she feared only three people. One was already dead, one was no longer in this world, and half of the last one was in that back courtyard.

So Song Ji Xin went alone to the back courtyard. He walked toward the main house with its door wide open, his steps light. Before entering, he straightened his collar.

The reason he, Song Ji Xin, was still alive was that the person in that room, together with his uncle Song Changjing, had made that decision.

As for his mother and his "brother" the Emperor, they probably didn't care whether his name was recorded or erased from the Imperial Clan Court register.

He crossed the threshold.

The white-clad youth seemed to have turned the main hall of this house into his study. On the octagonal table was spread a painting titled "Traveling on a Mountain Path in Snow at Night." The fine-line drawing was meticulous yet had a freehand quality—truly a divine work.

A crudely printed martial arts novel from a private publishing house was also opened, held down by a bronze beast paperweight. It was densely annotated in red ink.

Song Ji Xin made a deep bow and said, "Song Mu pays respects to the National Master."

Cui Dongshan was lying on the table, his legs twisted together in a lazy posture. He turned his head to look at Song Ji Xin and smiled, "It's been years since we last met in the small town."

Song Ji Xin said with utmost respect, "If not for the National Master's mercy, Song Ji Xin would not have had the chance to become a member of the Great Li imperial clan, let alone be enfeoffed as a prince in Old Dragon City."

Cui Dongshan's words were shocking. "Back then, both you and Zhao Yao received gifts from Qi Jingchun. Zhao Yao, to stay alive, made a deal with me, giving up that Spring character seal. Whether it was a gain or a loss is still hard to say. As for you, the books left to you by Qi Jingchun contained his study notes on both Confucianism and Legalism. But you, young man, didn't care enough to read them. If you had been sincere, you would have seen them. Qi Jingchun was not the kind of person who didn't know how to adapt. He had high expectations for you. 'Outer Confucian, inner Legalist'—do you know who practiced that? If you had obtained those teachings, your uncle and I might have added a claw to your robe."

Song Ji Xin's expression remained unchanged.

Cui Dongshan nodded. "Your character is indeed better than Zhao Yao's. No wonder Zhao Yao always admired you and was never your equal in Go."

Cui Dongshan pointed to a stool.

Song Ji Xin sat upright on the long stool.

Cui Dongshan still lay on the table, as if chatting about everyday matters. He smiled and said, "Song Yuzhang's death was truly unworthy. The former emperor's method of building the covered bridge was unsavory. After all, so many dragon sons and grandsons of the Great Li Song clan had died. Song Yuzhang, as the supervisor, not only failed to stop while he was ahead and quickly sever ties with you to live out his days peacefully in the Ministry of Rites, but instead truly regarded you, a prince, as his illegitimate son. If that wasn't asking for death, what was?"

Song Ji Xin's jaw moved slightly; he was probably grinding his teeth.

Cui Dongshan laughed heartily, clicking his tongue. "You, Song Ji Xin, have a big heart. You take a long-term view of sitting on the dragon throne, but you also have a petty mind. To this day, you still haven't let go of a mere Fallen Mountain mountain god like Song Yuzhang."

Song Ji Xin clenched his fists, silent.

Cui Dongshan smiled and asked, "Ma Kuxuan keeps bothering your maidservant. Does that bother you?"

Song Ji Xin nodded. "I know Zhi Gui has no feelings for him, but it's still a disgusting matter. So when the time comes and circumstances allow me to kill Ma Kuxuan, I will personally slaughter that lowborn bastard from Apricot Flower Lane."

Cui Dongshan waved his hand and said with a faint smile, "Lowborn bastard? Don't talk such ignorant nonsense. In Ma Kuxuan's eyes, you, a descendant of the Great Li Song clan, a so-called imperial noble, are the lowborn bastard. Moreover, True Martial Mountain will definitely protect Ma Kuxuan to the death. Besides that, Ma Kuxuan's cultivation speed is obvious to all cultivators on the continent. So the 'circumstances' you speak of—the more you delay, the less you'll have."

Song Ji Xin shook his head. "Excessive sharpness leads to reversal. Since I am a secular vassal prince, my identity is hard to change. I don't need to fight him head-on. There are many ways to kill a person in this world besides fists."

Ma Kuxuan had killed two Golden Core sword cultivators in succession in the Zhu Ying dynasty. The first time, he had schemed step by step, toying with his opponent. The second time, he had nearly fought to the death, using an endless array of trump cards to overpower his enemy.

In those two battles, Ma Kuxuan displayed a talent for cultivation that faintly established him as the undisputed number one genius of cultivation on Bottle Gourd Continent.

Before Ma Kuxuan, the last two heavenly prides to receive such universally recognized acclaim from the mountains over the past few centuries were Li Tuanjing of the Wind and Thunder Garden and Wei Jin of the Snow Wind Temple.

There had long been a rumor on the mountain that if Li Tuanjing had not been troubled by love, he could have smoothly broken through to the Jade Purity realm as a sword cultivator and then had a chance to reach the Immortal realm, even the Ascension realm! If that had happened, even the Shengjiao Sect would have been unable to suppress the Wind and Thunder Garden, let alone a single Sunny Mountain. So the grudges and romances of Li Tuanjing's time were actually deeply layered; Sunny Mountain was certainly not the only party involved. However, these truths had become things of the past with Li Tuanjing's military dissolution. Times changed. Sunny Mountain, which had been suppressed for so long by Li Tuanjing and his single sword, was now able to hold its head high, turning the tables and firmly suppressing the Wind and Thunder Garden. If not for the new garden master, Huang He, going into seclusion, forcing all forces to wait for his emergence, the Wind and Thunder Garden, with only Liu Ba Bridge struggling to hold on, would have long been challenged by the group of old sword cultivators from Sunny Mountain who had been holding in a bellyful of anger.

Cui Dongshan tapped the table lightly with his fingers, lost in thought.

Song Ji Xin showed no impatience.

He had never thought that becoming a vassal prince of Great Li qualified him to stand tall before this man. In fact, even if he changed his clothes and sat on the dragon throne, it would still be the same.

Cui Dongshan looked out the door and said out of the blue, "Birds born in cages think that flying is a sickness."

"Chickens peck at the ground for food. When the shadow of a hawk or falcon flashes across the sky above, they start worrying that their grain will be snatched away."

Song Ji Xin savored the deeper meaning of these two sentences.

Cui Dongshan sighed. "Enough of this idle talk. I came this time not only to relax but also to tell you something serious. You can't stay cooped up in Old Dragon City forever as this vassal prince. The second great battle of our Great Li is about to truly begin. You go to the Zhu Ying dynasty and personally oversee the construction of the secondary capital. At the same time, get on good terms with the Mohists. A war that feeds itself—if it only stops at plunder, it's meaningless."

Song Ji Xin asked softly, "May I ask the National Master, what is meant by the 'second battle'?"

Cui Dongshan smiled. "Destruction without the ability to repair and rebuild is self-destruction. It is not a long-term strategy."

Song Ji Xin was very clever and somewhat understood the National Master's implication.

Cui Dongshan continued, "The iron cavalry of Great Li marching southward shattered all old rules and dynastic orthodoxies. That was just the battlefield on horseback. Next, how the Great Li martial artists, dismounting from their horses, will promulgate our Great Li laws is the top priority. Laws are dead; they just sit there. So the key lies in people. The good and evil of laws are half in the documents and half in the people. How the north handles it and how the south handles it will be a test between you, the vassal prince, and His Majesty the Emperor. Don't take the old Master Guan of Great Li and that group of Pillars of State for fools. Every one of them has their eyes wide open, watching the two of you."

Song Ji Xin said solemnly, "I thank the National Master for his guidance."

Cui Dongshan smiled. "Do you know why the former emperor favored you to be emperor, yet before his death, he had your uncle serve as regent? Why did he have to put on a show of passing the throne from elder brother to younger brother?"

Song Ji Xin's expression changed slightly.

Cui Dongshan twitched the corner of his mouth and pointed at Song Ji Xin. "Before, it was the former emperor and the vassal prince Song Changjing. Now, it's the new emperor Song He and the vassal prince Song Mu."

Song Ji Xin's lips moved slightly, his face turning pale.

Cui Dongshan said, "As an emperor, your father did well enough. As a father, I think he wasn't bad either. At least for you, the former emperor truly had good intentions. How much do you resent the Empress Dowager in the depths of your heart? Doesn't the new emperor have just as much reason to resent the former emperor? So this matter of Song Yuzhang—your obsession is somewhat laughable. The laughable part isn't your emotions; people are not plants or grasses—how could they be emotionless? It's normal emotion. What's laughable is that you don't understand the rules at all. Do you really think that the one who killed Song Yuzhang was that adherent of the Lu clan who did the deed, or your mother who had his head sent to the capital in a wooden box? Was it the former emperor? Obviously yes and no. Can't you figure that out? And you still dare to boast here about waiting for circumstances to kill a Ma Kuxuan, who seems favored by heaven?"

Song Ji Xin stood up, bowed again, and said, "Song Ji Xin is grateful for the National Master's instruction!"

Cui Dongshan glanced at him askance and said, "The books Qi Jingchun left you, the teachings he imparted—on the surface, they seemed to teach you outer Confucian, inner Legalist. In fact, it was the opposite. But you never had the chance to figure it out."

Song Ji Xin sat down again, silent.

Cui Dongshan waved his hand.

Song Ji Xin stood up and took his leave.

He walked out of the alley with his maidservant Zhi Gui.

Cui Dongshan went to the threshold and sat down, yawning.

The old shopkeeper, whom he had casually brought along with him to wander about, ran to the courtyard and asked fawningly, "Celestial Master Cui, was that really the Great Li vassal prince Song Mu?"

Cui Dongshan said, "That kid was lying to you, just messing with you."

The Glass Immortal's face showed embarrassment. To believe or not to believe? That was the question.

Cui Dongshan waved his hand. "Go back to being the shopkeeper."

The Glass Immortal quickly left the courtyard.

Cui Dongshan changed his position and lay down on the threshold, using his hands as a pillow.

Back then, the matter in Rouge County of the Rainbow Garment Kingdom was just one small link in a multitude of schemes.

Using the corrupted Gold City God as a thread to pull the Rainbow Garment Kingdom was just one of the overt little schemes. What he and that old bastard truly sought was more covert. They wanted to use a circuitous method that conformed to the rules and the Great Way to release that pitiful fellow from White Emperor City who had been suppressed by Heavenly Master talismans for a thousand years. He should be called Liu Chicheng now, temporarily forced to attach himself to a scholar's soul. This favor, the other party would have to repay whether he wanted to or not. When to call in this favor depended on when Cui Dongshan would seek him out, Liu Chicheng.

On the chessboard of Bottle Gourd Continent, there were many such unknown subtle moves.

But for the two of them, they weren't really subtle moves—just playing the game normally.

For example, over in the Green Luan Kingdom, what that old thing had chosen—Liu Qingfeng, Li Baozhen, and that Wei Liang—what the three of them had done in a single kingdom was far-reaching. It might even potentially have impacts beyond Bottle Gourd Continent. However, the three of them themselves were still not quite clear about it. In the end, the one who would first understand the significance might actually be Liu Qingfeng, who wasn't even a cultivator.

Living in a remote corner, over a hundred years, he had done so many trivial things.

Sometimes Cui Dongshan would ask himself, what was the meaning? If things were left to take their course, with mountains collapsing and the earth splitting, and the world changing, would the Haoran world have learned its lesson enough? Would the final outcome actually be better?

Cui Dongshan opened his eyes wide, staring at the small bit of scenery just above his head.

The vast majority of people just drift with the current.

Those a bit smarter, in their dealings with the world, like to take shortcuts, seeking convenient methods that save worry and effort. They want everything done quickly, the faster the goal is achieved, the better. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, being able to do that is already quite commendable.

But just as the sage said, "Life is like a traveler's inn; I too am a passerby." Hence another sage said, "The world's majestic, grotesque, and extraordinary spectacles are often found in perilous and distant places, where few people tread. Only the determined can travel slowly and arrive to behold the grandeur."

Cui Dongshan sighed.

When you push and examine all the myriad things in the world, it seems that in the end, it all comes down to two words: "boring."

Ma Kuxuan, plucked from the chessboard by Lu Chen and then put back down in a different spot.

Song Changjing, the tenth-grade martial artist.

Wei Jin, the sword immortal of the Snow Wind Temple.

That young sword cultivator of the Zhu Ying dynasty who turned misfortune into fortune and bore the remnants of civil and military national destiny.

Liu Xianyang, who broke down and rebuilt, practicing swordsmanship in his dreams.

Gu Can of Letter and Bamboo Lake, whose nature hadn't changed but who had become smarter and better understood the workings of rules—he definitely had the potential to become a true wandering cultivator more seasoned than even Liu Laocheng.

Li Liu, the innate common master of the martial world.

Ruan Xiu.

Huang He of the Wind and Thunder Garden.

That hidden chess piece carefully nurtured by the Shengjiao Sect and personally cultivated by Qi Zhen.

Xie Ling, with his profound blessings.

And some young people who had yet to stand out or were not yet famous—all of them could be the pillars of the surging trend of Bottle Gourd Continent in the future.

Cui Dongshan sat up, stared blankly for a while longer, then went back to lie on the octagonal table.

His gaze shifted. That open martial arts novel on the table had been brought out from the Cliff Academy of Great Sui. Whenever Cui Dongshan had nothing to do, he would flip through a few pages and add some annotations.

On the currently open page, the author had written a line: "Drawing his sword and grabbing his clothes, he leaped onto the roof. The tiles made no sound. The moon was bright. He departed like a flying bird." Beside it, Cui Dongshan, the reader, had added a comment in red ink: "Truly the demeanor of a sword immortal!"

Cui Dongshan moved the paperweight away, spit on his finger, and turned the pages gently. Then he turned back and glanced at his annotation, not forgetting to praise himself: "Good calligraphy, good calligraphy. No wonder I am the disciple of my master."

Cui Dongshan looked up. In the next room stood a dazed and ignorant young child.

Cui Dongshan smiled, walked around the octagonal table, bent down, and patted the little fellow's head. His eyes were kind as he said, "Little Gao Cheng, you have to grow up quickly."