Chapter 530: His Destiny Porcelain and Disciples

Chapter 530: His Destiny Porcelain and Disciples

A young woman returning home across continents left the Niujiao Mountain ferry, walked out of the great mountains on foot, and headed toward the small town where the Huaihuang County yamen was located. Passing a small mound-like hill called the Pearl Mountain, she gave it a few extra glances. Entering the town, she first went to her family's old residence not far from Pearl Mountain—back then, an old beast from Zhengyang Mountain had trampled the roof ridge, forcing the family of four to move in with relatives. Later, they spent money on repairs, which her mother had grumbled about for a long time. She took out her house key, fetched two buckets of water from the nearby well, meticulously cleaned the place inside and out, then locked the door and headed to the desolate Yang Family Shop. Business was hard; only two assistants remained in the shop—a boy named Shi Lingshan and his senior sister Su Dian, who managed the pharmacy.

Shi Lingshan was dozing on the counter, while Su Dian sat on a long bench, silently breathing and meditating. Having broken through the bottleneck of the third realm, she had received from her senior brother Zheng Dafeng the evaluation, "Bottle breaks, thunderous pulp gushes; iron cavalry bursts through formation," which was said to be quite impressive and would help elevate the quality of her future heroic gall. He also advised her that after reaching the fifth realm, she should visit an ancient battlefield site to temper her soul there—it would be twice the result with half the effort, especially suitable for her subsequent sixth-realm cultivation. However, Su Dian felt little joy, only a deep sense of loss, because she knew well that the bottleneck of the third realm was both a major barrier and a great opportunity. The "strongest" she had dreamed of ultimately eluded her. She could only pin her hopes on the current fourth realm.

This had made Su Dian, who already had an extremely strong competitive streak, even more taciturn and grim-faced. Her daily martial arts training bordered on madness. Her martial path was divided into three types: day training, night training, and dream training. The last was the most mysterious; the first two were most effective under the blazing sun and during the full moon. For dream training, every night before sleep, she lit three incense sticks and then entered all kinds of bizarre dreams—either dueling to the death, trapped in a battlefield, instantly killed, or struggling in death's throes. After dream training ended, instead of leaving her mentally exhausted the next day, she always woke at dawn refreshed, with no delay to her day or night training.

Shi Lingshan, though appearing to doze, was also engaged in arduous cultivation. His training method was simpler than his senior sister's, called "wading through water." He walked in the long river of time, tempering his body and soul.

Su Dian did not know her master's true identity, nor what realm he was in, but she was certain of one thing: the cultivation paths she and her junior brother walked were absolutely extraordinary. Nowadays, many immortals came and went in Huaihuang County, and in the western mountains, numerous goblins and monsters appeared in human form. Many local youths or Lu clan convicts were taken as personal disciples by cultivators. Su Dian guessed that aside from Sage Ruan Qiong's Dragon Spring Sword Sect, no one could compare to her and her junior brother.

Su Dian opened her eyes and looked at the unfamiliar guest outside the door. Shi Lingshan, still lying on the counter, breathed long and steadily, unmoving.

Su Dian was originally a half-menial, half-apprentice at the Dragon Kiln—basically doing hard labor. Firing the Dragon Kiln had been the town's top priority since ancient times, and it was an official kiln of the Great Li Song clan, producing imperial porcelain. Su Dian, childhood nickname Rouge, had only managed to get by there through her uncle's connections, doing physical work like chopping firewood, burning charcoal, and moving clay materials. During each kiln opening, she couldn't approach the kilns, or she'd be expelled. So she wasn't familiar with the local townsfolk. As for her junior brother Shi Lingshan, he came from a well-off family in Peach Leaf Lane, accustomed to playing only with neighbors and the well-to-do children of Fortune Street. He was also a stranger to squalid alleys like Mud Vase Lane and Apricot Alley, and at most knew places like Riding Dragon Lane, where sundry shops clustered.

The slender young woman looked at Su Dian and said gently with a smile, "You must be Su Dian."

Su Dian had a good impression of this guest—soft and delicate, like the rouge and powder her uncle had always talked about when he was alive. Su Dian nodded, stood up, and said, "Guest, do you need medicine?"

The young woman shook her head. "Looking for someone. My father used to be a clerk here. My younger brother is Li Huai; he often came here to play when he was little. Have you heard of him?"

Su Dian's expression changed slightly. Li Huai? That Confucian-robed boy who seemed to have eaten a hundred bear gallbladders and leopard hearts? How could such a boisterous boy have a sister so gentle as water? The woman before her was like a willow branch in spring, her voice pleasant, her features kind—not the kind of beauty that immediately stirred a man's heart, but very easy on the eyes. She was the kind of pretty that even a beautiful woman like Su Dian found pretty.

Su Dian asked softly, "Are you looking for my master?"

The woman smiled and nodded.

Su Dian hesitated.

Just then, Old Man Yang appeared unexpectedly at the door between the shop and the back courtyard. Lifting the curtain with his tobacco pipe, he smiled and said, "You're here. Come in."

Li Liu entered the back courtyard.

Old Man Yang sat on the step, continuing to puff smoke. The woman casually picked a bench and sat down.

Old Man Yang said, "As for the newly acquired blessed land at Fallen Mountain, say what needs to be said. No need to avoid anything. It seems far-reaching, but it's actually within the rules. The big shots up there have that much tolerance. Your current bodies and identities are both a constraint and somewhat useful."

Li Liu nodded. "You had Zheng Dafeng call me over—it's not just about this, is it?"

Old Man Yang grunted. "Just so happens, Ruan Qiong came to see me, also about cave heavens and blessed lands. You can explain both. The items are still with me; after you go to Fallen Mountain, go to Shenxiu Mountain."

Li Liu's gaze deepened.

Old Man Yang chuckled. "Even the Way is gone, so what's the point of arguing about the Great Way's rivalry? Isn't that a joke? I think you should let bygones be bygones with her. But I doubt either of you will listen to advice; otherwise, back then... forget it, old sesame and millet matters, not worth mentioning. If we really want to settle scores, everyone has them. Anyway, if you two really want to fight, it won't be now."

A martial world overlord.

A Fire God seated high.

It was just that the Great Way had collapsed, the mountains and rivers had changed, their bodies had changed, but the golden body foundation remained.

As for why he, the highest generation and greatest criminal in the world, could still linger on, living to this day—he had to ask three people and two deities.

Those two deities—one decided why sword cultivators had the greatest killing power yet found it extremely difficult to reach the legendary fourteenth realm; the other decided why all martial paths in the world were dead ends, and also why military cultivators among Qi refiners could be almost free from karma.

Li Liu suddenly said, "I don't think it will work."

Old Man Yang sneered. "Who back then thought those ants would reach the summit? Would succeed?"

Li Liu fell silent.

Indeed, as Old Man Yang said: if we really want to settle scores, everyone has them.

Old Man Yang tapped the ground with his pipe, shaking out a small, mist-shrouded temple. It rolled on the ground and finally settled. A little incense-fire figure ran out, dragging two "large plaques" with all its might—actually a jade token and a seal.

Li Liu glanced at the two items and smiled. "Liu Xianyang, who was borrowed by the Chen clan of Pure Confucianism for thirty years, will definitely enter Dragon Spring Sword Sect?"

Old Man Yang said, "Ruan Qiong thinks it's unlikely Liu Xianyang will return, but actually the chances are still good."

The incense-fire figure scurried to Li Liu's feet.

Li Liu picked up the keys to the two cave heavens and blessed lands.

She had little interest.

Just fragments of the old mountains and rivers.

She was quite different from Ruan Xiu, Li Er, Zheng Dafeng, Fan Junmao, and the like. As for Guanhu Academy's worthy Zhou Ju, Old Dragon City's Sun Jiashu, and the Cui girl from that small sect in Beiju Lu Prefecture's Dong Immortal Realm, they were even less comparable. The eight goddesses of the Mural City in Skeleton Beach, whose legacy now left the Painter Sect a fairyland mansion within a painting, were also part of the broken mountains and rivers. It could even be considered one of Li Liu's summer retreats. So when the Rainwalker Goddess encountered Li Liu, she became unsettled, feeling as if she, an ordinary clerk in a secular dynasty's officialdom, had met the Minister of Personnel. This was not the Rainwalker Goddess's illusion, because that's how things were. The eight goddesses of Mural City had duties roughly equivalent to the Six Section Chiefs in the mortal court, but in fact, their powers were greater—they could patrol heaven and earth, restrain, supervise, and impeach all departmental deities—truly low in rank but high in authority.

The biggest difference between Li Liu and others whom Old Man Yang had gradually led onto that ancient path was that she didn't need enlightenment at all, because she was born knowing. Many sect-head immortal families, after their founding patriarch's sword dissolution and departure, needed to expend great sect resources to find the patriarch's reincarnation. For example, the Tongye Sect's revitalizing patriarch once sent people down the mountain to find his own mother. But even if found, they might not remember past lives. On the path of cultivation, good innate talent didn't guarantee a return to the mountain summit.

After casually putting away the jade token and seal, Li Liu thought for a moment and sighed. "You still don't want us to dredge up old scores."

If Chen Ping'an wasn't enough, add Li Huai. If still not stable, add Liu Xianyang.

A deeply hidden conflict of water and fire—Chen Ping'an temporarily replaced Li Liu in contending with Ruan Xiu. Because back then, the one who should have obtained the "loach" opportunity was Chen Ping'an, not Gu Can. Why did Ruan Xiu favor Chen Ping'an? Now it might have become complicated, but at the start, it wasn't simply because Chen Ping'an's heart was clear and made Ruan Xiu feel clean. Rather, when Ruan Xiu saw Chen Ping'an back then, it was like a gluttonous gourmet seeing the most delicious food in the world—she couldn't take her eyes off him.

Li Huai, Li Liu's younger brother and also Qi Jingchun's disciple, had Chen Ping'an as his protector by happenstance. If Li Liu wanted to dredge up old scores with Ruan Xiu, she would first need to kill Chen Ping'an, who was naturally water-attuned, and occupy that Great Way herself. But Li Huai would never allow that. And Li Liu truly didn't want to make Li Huai sad.

Yet that wasn't secure enough.

So Old Man Yang had to add some justified possibilities for Liu Xianyang to return to Dragon Spring Sword Sect—for example, a cave heaven not among the thirty-six, complementing Liu Xianyang's ancestral sword scripture. With Chen Ping'an and Liu Xianyang around, the relationship between Fallen Mountain and Dragon Spring Sword Sect would only grow tighter.

Old Man Yang didn't deny it, but his eyes were cold. "Everyone has them. You two, your faults are especially great!"

Li Liu showed neither fear nor guilt, looking up at the sky. "Probably so."

Old Man Yang suddenly said, "Although for you, all kinds of mud can be shaken off with a flick of your clothes, you still need to be careful. Otherwise, one day, inconspicuous mud, like ink seeping into a seal, will cause you great suffering."

Li Liu shook her head. "There's no need to say these things to me. I know what I'm doing."

Then Li Liu smiled gracefully at the old man.

Old Man Yang let out a silent laugh, as if making an excuse for himself. "Sitting in a cage for ten thousand years—can't I find some amusement to pass the time?"

Li Liu suppressed a smile. "My father is fine—he has to leave some martial fortune for Baoping Continent—but my mother really didn't need to go to Beiju Lu Prefecture."

Old Man Yang was silent, his expression sour.

Thinking of that shrew who seemed to eat several catties of arsenic every day, he had no good mood. A thing loathed by gods and ghosts, fly shit in an incense burner—one more look would dirty the eyes.

Li Huai and his mother were different from his father Li Er and sister Li Liu; they weren't of the same path. The mother and son were just ordinary people. Of course, Li Huai was human, but definitely not ordinary. There was no kid in the world who seemed to have dog shit lined up for him to step on. Tongye Continent's Taiping Mountain's Huang Ting and Shengao Sect's He Xiaoliang were each hailed as having the greatest fortune in their continent, but compared to Li Huai's world-conquering dog-shit luck, the latter seemed even more incomprehensible. Huang Ting and He Xiaoliang still had to consider how to hold onto their fortune, lest blessings and misfortunes intertwine. Did Li Huai need to? He was the type whose fortune actively came to him, and he might even worry that the things were a bit heavy or not pretty.

So Old Man Yang could give Li Huai extra favors, and completely without involving business transactions, because the old man genuinely liked this little brat. In the long years of Pearly Bead Cave Heaven, few people could enter the back courtyard of Yang Family Pharmacy. A child like Li Huai was rare.

As for the woman, precisely because she was too ordinary and mediocre, the old man didn't bother with her. Otherwise, try Xie Shi of Peach Leaf Lane or Cao Xi of Mud Vase Lane from earlier years—could they have left Pearly Bead Cave Heaven?

Old Man Yang was silent for a moment. "Chen Ping'an has started secretly investigating the matter of his destiny porcelain. Very covert, left not a trace."

Li Liu had little reaction. She knew some of the inside story—it was an extremely complex network in the mountain world. Yang Family Pharmacy certainly couldn't wash its hands of it, but they acted by the rules, not deliberately targeting Chen Ping'an. They just split the spoils with the Great Li Song clan. The firing of destiny porcelain was originally Old Man Yang's heaven-reaching masterpiece. It could even be said that the rise of the Great Li dynasty owed its success to this trade in Pearly Bead Cave Heaven, allowing it to flourish. So Old Man Yang's praise for the young Cui Chan's soul path was the highest recognition in the world. It could be said that besides Old Man Yang, the only ones who were masters of this path were Cui Chan and Cui Dongshan. The Ma couple living in Apricot Alley but having power over the Dragon Kiln—Ma Kuxuan's parents—had a huge role in the shattering of Chen Ping'an's destiny porcelain. Ma Lanhua, who had been promoted from river mother to river god at Dragon Beard River but still had no golden body shrine or sacrificial incense—that old crone had a venomous heart but had shown a conscience on this matter, even trying her best to stop her son and daughter-in-law. But the couple was blinded by greed; the old woman failed. Ma Kuxuan had once woken up in the middle of the night, knowing a bit of the truth, so he paid special attention to Chen Ping'an, that early prodigy who had always played dumb.

The Great Li empress, now the Empress Dowager, and the late emperor did it for Song Jixin and for the Great Li dynasty's mandate. State Preceptor Cui Chan went along with it, playing a game of chess with Qi Jingchun. Looking only at the result, Cui Chan indeed made a divine move.

As for who actually bought Chen Ping'an's destiny porcelain back then, why it was broken, and how much immortal money the Great Li Song clan compensated the buyer—Li Liu didn't know clearly and didn't want to delve into matters that didn't concern her. Generally, a child born in Mud Vase Lane wouldn't have a very low price for porcelain gambling, because Mud Vase Lane had produced a sword immortal, Cao Xi, who guarded a grand tower in Southern Bossom Continent—that added a premium. But not too high either, since Mud Vase Lane had already produced a Cao Xi. So the late Great Li emperor, the court, and the buyer probably hadn't taken it too seriously back then. But as Chen Ping'an gradually rose to his current glory, it was hard to say. The other party might not be able to resist dredging up old scores, finding various reasons to haggle with the new Great Li emperor. Because according to common sense, if Chen Ping'an's destiny porcelain was already shattered and he still had today's glory, if it hadn't been broken and had been taken out of Pearly Bead Cave Heaven and nurtured heavily, wouldn't he have been a surefire upper-fifth-realm cultivator? So the Great Li court's compensation back then was destined to be unfair. Of course, if the buyer was a Baoping Continent immortal sect, they probably wouldn't dare speak up now, only grumble to themselves. But if it was from another continent, especially one of those behemoth sect-head immortal sects, especially from Beiju Lu Prefecture, then the new Great Li emperor, whose foundation wasn't yet stable, would likely have to pay his father's debts.

Li Liu suddenly said, "Chen Ping'an is a very easy person to talk to."

Then Li Liu added, "But at the same time, Chen Ping'an is a very terrifying person."

Old Man Yang smiled. "To be evaluated like that by you shows Chen Ping'an hasn't wasted all these years."

Li Liu frowned. "Once Chen Ping'an figures out the details, the first enemy will be right next to Fallen Mountain and Mud Vase Lane."

The first was the Ma family of Apricot Alley.

The second was the Great Li Song imperial clan.

And Ma Kuxuan was clearly a bet the old man valued greatly.

The old man sneered. "If Ma Kuxuan gets beaten to death by a peer whose destiny porcelain is shattered, that saves me from future bets. I should thank Chen Ping'an."

Li Liu sighed.

That was the old man's business sense.

Old Man Yang smiled. "That Daoist sect leader actually spoke many truthful words early on, but I don't know if Chen Ping'an has figured them out. For example, those who do good deeds aren't necessarily good people. Those who do bad deeds aren't necessarily bad people."

Old Man Yang looked up at the sky. "Do you know why the Buddhist sect seems not to care at all about the survival and trends of Pearly Bead Cave Heaven?"

Li Liu was silent.

Old Man Yang answered himself. "Suppose the Age of Dharma Decline comes. Which of the Three Teachings and Hundred Schools do you think will suffer the most?"

Li Liu said, "The Daoists. Once the path to ascension is gone, and there's no spiritual energy, all cultivation methods become useless skills. The Daoist situation will be the hardest. The lofty 'quiet and inaction' might become 'doing nothing at all.' To the Daoists, this could be the earliest arrival of another separation of heaven and earth, gods and men. In contrast, the Confucians and Buddhists can still pass down the torch for millennia, just the light of the torch will be much dimmer."

Old Man Yang nodded. "So Dao Elder Brother is anxious. So Dao Third Brother personally came to protect his senior brother, taking a trip to Pearly Bead Cave Heaven, playing a fortune-teller, and keeping a tight watch on Qi Jingchun."

Li Liu asked, "Why didn't Mr. Qi use the hairpin gifted by his own teacher?"

Old Man Yang said, "That was the key item of that stinky Daoist old temple master. Old Scholar was of course well-intentioned. Even I didn't see the origin of that hairpin at first; Qi Jingchun probably didn't either. Later, when Qi Jingchun withstood the heavenly tribulation, the peculiarity of that hairpin was slightly revealed. That stinky Daoist certainly had the intention to disgust the Dao Ancestor. Unfortunately, Qi Jingchun wasn't willing to jump from one chessboard into another. Even in death, he forcefully severed all threads."

Old Man Yang showed a nostalgic expression. "It was people like this back then who overturned our heaven and earth."

The old man smiled. "Don't think the current world is a complete mess. When real disaster looms, there will still be many such people stepping forward. That's the achievement of Confucian moral cultivation. Who always says the common folk are ignorant? The mountain folk, and then the scholars. In fact, acting good without knowing it's good, acting evil while knowing it's evil—that's where the Confucian school is strongest. Children supporting parents, parents teaching children, ruler and minister, teacher and student, friends and relatives, neighbors—the Confucian world is like firing porcelain. Learning permeates heaven and earth, has the most cohesion. Although porcelain is fragile, the nature of clay never ceases."

The old man thought for a moment. "Earlier, that brat Li Huai sent some books to the shop. I found a line: 'Clear cold enters the mountain's bones; grasses and trees are all firm and lean.' How about that? Isn't it quite meaningful? Why did a rotten-bellied thing like Ma Lanhua of Apricot Alley still stop her son and daughter-in-law from seeking wealth through violence? That's complex human nature. It's the rules of Confucianism beyond the page that bind the heart. Many principles are already in the hearts of people in the Haoran world."

Li Liu asked curiously, "What exactly did Mr. Qi study during his sixty years in Pearly Bead Cave Heaven?"

Old Man Yang said, "He naturally read all the Three Teachings and Hundred Schools. Qi Jingchun's reading deserves the praise 'seeing everything at a glance.' But privately, he focused on three fields: mathematics, context, and law."

Li Liu sighed.

A mere scholar, why did he have to?

Old Man Yang took out some tobacco.

Seeing this, Li Liu smiled knowingly.

It should be from her brother Li Huai, given to the old man.

Simple reason: the tobacco looked cheap.

After some casual chat, Li Liu stood up and vanished in a flash, changing her mind—she would go to Shenxiu Mountain first, then Fallen Mountain.

—

On the cliffs of Shenxiu Mountain, from top to bottom, were four huge characters: "Heaven Opens Divine Splendor."

A young woman in blue with a ponytail sat on the first horizontal stroke of the character "Heaven," as if sitting on a railing in the sky, overlooking the mortal world below.

She ate pastries slowly.

When Li Liu appeared beside her, Ruan Xiu still didn't turn.

Li Liu crouched on the ground, looking into the distance, casually tossing the two items over.

Ruan Xiu caught them and put away her pastry cloth.

Li Liu said, "One cave heaven, the Rice Field Cave Heaven. One blessed land, the Misty Cloud Blessed Land. Slightly inferior to the Ten Great Cave Heavens and Thirty-Six Minor Cave Heavens. The blessed land is a ready-made mid-grade blessed land, neither good nor bad. Invest some money, and it might reach upper grade. But there are no people inside—only mountain and river spirits, grass, wood, and flower charms. Because the old man doesn't like dealing with people, you should know that. According to the agreement, the old man will eventually ask you to do two things. You can decide based on your mood whether to do them and how."

Ruan Xiu opened her hand and looked down.

A jade token, engraved with: "Not the Azure Dragon overseeing water, land becomes gullies, water becomes fields." That was the Rice Field Cave Heaven, also known as the Green Seedling Cave Heaven.

A seal, with side engraving: "Years in the mortal world are brief, but misty clouds here are many." That was the Misty Cloud Blessed Land.

A blessed land lies in the land and people, in heavenly materials and earthly treasures; a cave heaven lies in cultivation and attaining the Way. That was the literal "difference between heaven and earth."

The best situation, of course, was a sect possessing both cave heaven and blessed land. For example, Shengao Sect possessed a Clear Pool Blessed Land and also a minor cave heaven, though not among the thirty-six like Pearly Bead Cave Heaven or Dragon Palace Cave Heaven—the quality wasn't enough. But a minor cave heaven was still a cave heaven. Compared to ordinary spiritually rich Feng Shui treasures, besides more spiritual energy, it had many wonders: the atmosphere of the Great Way, and some golden objects accumulated over long ages in the river of time—a tiny grain could fill a room with radiance.

That Rice Field Cave Heaven also had some mirror-flower-water-moon wonders, so it was somewhat suitable for Liu Xianyang's dream sword training.

In fact, the old man had cave heavens and blessed lands even more suitable for that sword scripture.

But it wasn't the right time to bring them out.

When doing business, never force things on others—you won't sell at a high price.

Ruan Xiu frowned. "No fire-attributed fragment realms?"

Li Liu said, "Even if the old man had them, he wouldn't give them to you. If you dared to take them, your father would send them back. And I wouldn't make an extra trip for something like this."

Ruan Xiu nodded. "Thank you, then."

Li Liu didn't react.

Ruan Xiu took out the pastry wrapped in embroidered cloth again. "Want some?"

Li Liu hesitated, then picked up a piece and put it in her mouth.

Ruan Xiu smiled cheerfully, a little happy, and then said, "Before I kill you later, you can eat once more."

Li Liu laughed. "I eat pastries, you eat me—still you eating. Quite a good deal."

Ruan Xiu put away the pastries, smiled, and looked into the distance. "But maybe you'll eat me instead. I think that's fine—not so many constraints, eat whenever you want."

Burn water, boil rivers, boil seas—everything is edible.

Ruan Xiu asked, "I don't remember the past. Our last fight—who won, who lost?"

Li Liu said indifferently, "Both lost."

Li Liu asked, "Those twelve registered disciples of Dragon Spring Sword Sect clearly have pieces planted by others. Why do you deliberately turn a blind eye?"

Ruan Xiu looked blank. "Someone put a few little ants in the chicken coop. Do I need to care?"

Li Liu laughed.

Poor ants.

Among them, probably Xie Ling was the most pitiful.

Ruan Xiu asked casually, "Didn't you run into any acquaintances in Beiju Lu Prefecture?"

Li Liu said, "In a place called Ghost Valley in Skeleton Beach, we brushed past. I didn't deliberately greet them. I'll meet them at Lion Peak later anyway."

Ruan Xiu said, "Oh. Then you're not very good at being human."

Li Liu sneered. "Want to fight in the Misty Cloud Blessed Land?"

"No," Ruan Xiu shook her head. "Obviously I'd lose, and it's a losing business. Fighting back and forth, the blessed land's spiritual energy dissipates, great demons die—pointless."

Ruan Xiu said, "With that temper of yours, the fact that I didn't kill you back then shows my temper was really good."

Li Liu leaned back, lying down, hands behind her head. "That was pretty good."

Ruan Xiu glanced upward—two people flew by on the wind, heading south.

She looked and then dismissed it.

—

A man who arrived at Niujiao Mountain ferry on his own sect's ferry boat was accompanied by a maidservant named Ya'er. The two flew directly toward Fallen Mountain. He had a Dragon Spring Sword Sect sword token; last time he visited Fallen Mountain, he'd bought one from a local immortal mansion on the way, and now it hung at his waist. Doing business at face value based on status—he couldn't do that. It wasn't about morality; it was just... Double the price, still wouldn't sell; double again, and the other party sold readily. Even so, it was only one Guyu coin.

He landed at the foot of the mountain.

He called out loudly, "Brother Dafeng!"

A hunchbacked man sunbathing on a bench at the mansion gate immediately got up and ran over, greeting warmly, "Aiyowei, Brother Zhou Fei is here!"

Jiang Shangzhen stood beside a stunningly beautiful young woman—Ya'er, brought out from Lotus Flower Blessed Land. After looking, Zheng Dafeng sighed, "Drowned in excess."

Jiang Shangzhen asked, "Can I go up the mountain?"

Zheng Dafeng nodded. "Sure, but recently our Fallen Mountain is tight on funds, so we have a new mountain rule: to enter the gate and climb the mountain, you have to pay a small fee. Since you're Brother Zhou Fei, I'll be shameless and make an exception—don't follow the rules. Just give as you see fit. After all, with your status, you're practically half a family member who almost became a Fallen Mountain guest elder. Just give whatever."

Jiang Shangzhen chuckled and took out a Guyu coin, placing it in Zheng Dafeng's hand.

Zheng Dafeng tucked it into his sleeve. "Can't, can't—too much."

Ya'er stared at the brazen hunchbacked man, her usually sharp mind struggling to keep up.

Zheng Dafeng accompanied Jiang Shangzhen up the mountain, asking, "What brings you here this time?"

Jiang Shangzhen smiled. "I've come to express my thanks to your Fallen Mountain. Now my Jianhu Lake has a Nascent Soul sword cultivator as a guest elder—all thanks to your mountain lord. Also, I heard that Mountain God Wei held a second night tour banquet; I missed both. I feel terrible, scratching my heart and liver. So I had to come personally. One to thank, one to apologize—must make it up."

A new sect had appeared at Jianhu Lake, named True Realm Sect—a well-known event in Baoping Continent's mountain world. If not for the clamor of hooves across the continent's map, it would have been a topic of discussion among mountain cultivators for a long time. True Realm Sect was the lower sect of Jade South Sect, the number one immortal sect in Tongye Continent. Chief guest elder Liu Laocheng, the only upper-fifth-realm wild cultivator in Baoping Continent. Also included guest elder Liu Zhimao, the River-Cutting True Lord of Green Gorge Island. Plus a batch of powerful cultivators who had come from Jade South Sect to settle at Jianhu Lake. Now they had added a female sword immortal from Beiju Lu Prefecture, Li Cai, as a registered guest elder. Great momentum. For a time, all over Baoping Continent's mountain world, eyes turned toward Shengao Sect. They were very curious whether the local snake and the river-dragon would clash openly. If it was just undercurrents beneath the table, that wouldn't be as exciting as the two sides' great cultivators fighting to the death.

Shengao Sect's sect master Qi Zhen was a twelfth-realm heavenly lord, and had been granted an immortal weapon by the Daoist sect leader. Moreover, Shengao Sect had backing in Middle Earth Divine Continent, with an upper sect. Qi Zhen's junior brother seemed to hold an important position in that upper sect now. However, according to Baoping Continent cultivators' inferences, True Realm Sect would definitely expand its territory cautiously over the next hundred years. The Great Li Song clan wouldn't allow a new sect that was too big to control. In fact, True Realm Sect did abide by the rules. After the early bloody iron fist—typical "those who obey prosper, those who resist perish"—they had now settled into stability. Some sufficiently clever cultivators and islands had gained; they found that under Liu Zhimao's reorganization, apart from the sect's rules, their island's strength and assets hadn't decreased but increased. And the most interesting thing was that Baoping Continent's most lawless, mixed-bag wild cultivator den seemed to have overnight transformed into registered immortal masters, and from a sect-head immortal sect at that.

During this period, when the Pearl Hairpin Island tried to move out of Jianhu Lake, True Realm Sect specially allocated several islands with continuous scenery, but never decided ownership. A certain great cultivator of True Realm Sect suddenly went into seclusion without appearing—minor matters.

Zhu Lian received Jiang Shangzhen; they had a pleasant conversation.

Jiang Shangzhen brought out two priceless Dharma treasures as gifts to make up for the two missed night tour banquets, asking Zhu Lian to forward them to Pi Yun Mountain's Wei Bo. Additionally, Jiang Shangzhen had prepared two immortal sect heavy treasures as thanks for the young Fallen Mountain lord who had won them a Nascent Soul guest elder.

Zhu Lian then said that a Nascent Soul sword cultivator was a sword immortal, especially from Beiju Lu Prefecture—only two items was insufficient. Three would be more reasonable.

Sitting on a stone stool in the courtyard, Jiang Shangzhen slapped his thigh, said how could he forget that, what a sin, and then directly brought out... two items.

Ya'er couldn't bear to watch.

After leaving Lotus Flower Blessed Land, she had seen Jiang Shangzhen's seemingly arrogant but actually calculating methods within Jade South Sect, accompanied him to Cloud Cavern Blessed Land, and witnessed his ruthlessness—killing disobedient blessed land earth immortals as casually as snapping a chicken's neck, without blinking. Finally at Jianhu Lake, although Jiang Shangzhen never gave specific orders, acting like a hands-off boss who cared about nothing, yet everything and everyone bore the invisible stamp of his conduct, having been raised in a demonic sect and thus familiar with the operations of a large sect. So she was even more puzzled: why did that young banished immortal named Chen deserve such serious treatment from Jiang Shangzhen? Besides, Chen Ping'an wasn't even on his own mountain now. Ya'er was no longer a frog at the bottom of the well from Lotus Flower Blessed Land. She had already seen the highest scenery of the entire Tongye Continent.

Zheng Dafeng saw this and was amused.

Goodness.

Gray Mist Mountain, Cinnabar Mountain, Verdant Mist Peak, Turtle's Back.

The suppressing items for Fallen Mountain's four subsidiary peaks—all accounted for.

And Brother Zhou Fei's smartest move was that these four high-quality suppressing items could later serve as auxiliary tools. That is, once Fallen Mountain found more suitable immortal heavy vessels to suppress those peaks' landscapes, today's timely assistance would automatically become icing on the cake.

Of course, this True Realm Sect master's method was only possible because of one crucial prerequisite.

Rich!

But that was normal—that Cloud Cavern Blessed Land was a fine place that even Middle Earth Divine Continent cultivators, who always looked down on others, would flock to. It was also the main source of income for the entire Jade South Sect. So Zhu Lian was slaughtering the pig—slaughtering Zhou Fei's pig. One willing to give, one willing to take—everyone happy. Zhu Lian probably even thought Brother Zhou Fei's bleeding knife wasn't fast or deep enough.

Since they were at Bootlicking Mountain... Fallen Mountain, the two sides naturally had to compete in Daoist methods. On this trip, Jiang Shangzhen, who had been confident, was bested again. Because Zhu Lian had a trump card: Pei Qian, Chen Ping'an's eldest disciple, and her "realm doubling." A decisive blow. Jiang Shangzhen surrendered.

Ya'er felt uncomfortable listening.

Finally they started talking business.

Ya'er was very restrained, because the hunchbacked man's gaze made her uncomfortable. Yet when she occasionally met his eyes, his look wasn't really disgusting. That left her helpless. Ya'er resolved never to come to Fallen Mountain again.

"I want twenty percent of the Lotus Root Blessed Land's revenue, no time limit, permanent."

Jiang Shangzhen held up two fingers. "My conditions: first, True Realm Sect will first lend Fallen Mountain a thousand Guyu coins. After reaching mid-grade blessed land, lend another two thousand. After reaching upper-grade blessed land, another three thousand. All interest-free. But these three sums must be repaid by Chen Ping'an and Fallen Mountain within a hundred years, five hundred years, and a thousand years respectively; otherwise, additional cost. Whether to repay in money or by lending people can be discussed later; we won't go into detail now. Second, I'll transfer personnel from Cloud Cavern Blessed Land to enter Lotus Root Blessed Land, responsible for managing various affairs. Third, I can offer six islands at the border of Jianhu Lake, not leased but directly gifted to Fallen Mountain."

Zhu Lian smiled without speaking.

Jiang Shangzhen wasn't in a hurry.

Zhu Lian suddenly said, "Right now, immortal money is the most valuable, people the least. But for a long time to come, that might change. Brother Zhou Fei's Cloud Cavern Blessed Land is vast and resource-rich, very impressive. Our Lotus Root Blessed Land is far smaller, but in terms of people—the South Garden Kingdom alone has twenty million; the other three kingdoms, including Songlai Kingdom, add up to another forty million. That's really not small."

Jiang Shangzhen shook his head, waved his sleeve, and immediately created a small separate space. "Words like that, if said to outsiders, even our old sect master Xun might believe. But unfortunately, I happen to be a banished immortal from Lotus Flower Blessed Land, and I've roughly guessed the old temple master's method. So besides South Garden Kingdom, the other kingdoms like Songlai are paper people and paper territories. In the short term, their souls are fragmented and thin, landscape qi fortune extremely sparse—negligible. Only South Garden Kingdom's real substance can apportion and make up for it. So for now, everything and everyone outside South Garden Kingdom is worthless, absolutely worthless. You have to wait slowly; only in the long run will they become more valuable. That's why I insist on 'permanent.'"

Zhu Lian neither confirmed nor denied, smiling. "Twenty percent, permanent revenue—that's a bit much."

But he had a higher opinion of Brother Zhou Fei.

This was using human calculation to guess heavenly calculation. Guessing right was a skill—he had to admit it.

At the same time, Jiang Shangzhen held a similar view.

Zhu Lian was also betting on the general trend to lower the price.

The key was that the other party had guessed right.

Jiang Shangzhen dismissed the small space, stood up, and said, "I'll go take a walk. When you have a definite answer, I'll leave Fallen Mountain. With or without me at Jianhu Lake, it's the same."

Jiang Shangzhen took Ya'er and flew toward the prefectural city of Dragon Prefecture, formerly the seat of Dragon Spring Commandery. He intended to find a few playmates close in age for the child he had brought from Beiju Lu Prefecture to Jianhu Lake. His maidservant Ya'er was obviously too old and a bit dull.

Zheng Dafeng saw Zhu Lian looking at him.

Zheng Dafeng smiled. "The expert I invited should arrive soon. He can help us bargain with Jiang Shangzhen."

Speak of the devil.

A young woman landed gracefully in the courtyard.

Zheng Dafeng laughed. "Little willow, you've grown so pretty now—really, really beautiful."

Li Liu smiled. "Uncle Zheng, hello."

Zhu Lian didn't stand on ceremony either. He spoke directly to this unfamiliar woman about the matters of Lotus Root Blessed Land, detailing everything—the four kingdoms' structure, with no omissions. As for her identity and background, Zhu Lian didn't care; Zheng Dafeng, Fallen Mountain's gatekeeper, would have vetted her.

Li Liu didn't beat around the bush. She had Zhu Lian call Wei Bo, open the parasol tree leaf, and together entered the former Lotus Flower Blessed Land.

A far-traveling realm martial artist and a great cultivator who had casually reached the Nascent Soul realm overlooked the blessed land's mountains and rivers together.

Li Liu smirked. "As expected of that stinky Daoist—his Daoist methods have deepened quite a bit. No wonder he dared to go wrestle in the Azure Sky World."

Zhu Lian sat cross-legged, pretending not to hear.

Li Liu pointed at the landscape beneath them, speaking slowly: "The transformation of this blessed land, according to old sayings, is 'mountains and rivers changing colors.' The areas outside South Garden Kingdom were shaped by your old heavenly lord using great divine ability, creating a form similar to a white paper blessed land and the meaning of an incense-fire cave heaven. Simply put, everything outside South Garden Kingdom—mountains, rivers, grass, trees, all sentient beings—is like white paper. They can live, but they have lost 'half a meaning.' That is, these paper figures, no matter how devout their hearts, even if they worship Buddhas and gods, cannot produce even a speck of incense essence. But that doesn't prevent them from reincarnating in the new blessed land. As the new blessed land's spiritual energy increases, and South Garden Kingdom's incense thrives, all paper figures will gradually become heavier, eventually no different from ordinary people, and may even acquire cultivation aptitude and the possibility of becoming landscape deities."

Zhu Lian said calmly, "From a vivid colored painting to a meticulous white sketch."

Li Liu smiled. "You could say that."

Li Liu focused her gaze and pointed at random. "The so-called banished immortals have all withdrawn from this shattered blessed land. And some cultivators who had begun to climb the mountain are clearly no longer in your Lotus Root Blessed Land. For example, the Lake Mountain Sect in Songlai Kingdom, where Yu Zhenyi once sat—that landscape's qi fortune appears especially blank and striking. That's the result of Yu Zhenyi being chosen by the old Daoist. Yu Zhenyi is now in one of the four real Lotus Flower Blessed Lands. Lu Tai is another. The scholarly family in South Garden Kingdom's capital—see that? Also extremely blank, very abrupt. A person from that clan caught the old Daoist's interest. So after the Lotus Flower Blessed Land was split into four, the general ownership is clear: Chen Ping'an, Yu Zhenyi (the first successful cultivator in Lotus Flower Blessed Land history), Lu Tai (the banished immortal who united the demonic sect), and that family whose library Chen Ping'an visited twice."

Zhu Lian didn't look, just scratched his head and smiled. "I'm not a landscape spirit—I can't see those celestial phenomena."

Li Liu chuckled. "No need to test me. Unnecessary, and be careful of superfluous additions."

Zhu Lian smiled. "Got it."

Li Liu asked, "If you were that stinky Daoist's chess piece, Chen Ping'an would die very miserably."

Zhu Lian cupped his fists on his knees, the heavenly wind blowing, his body leaning slightly forward. "Since I'm lucky to be born human, I should speak human language and do human things. Otherwise, what's the point of passing through the human world once?"

Zhu Lian squinted and said slowly, "Heaven and earth gave birth to me, Zhu Lian. I couldn't refuse that. But how I, Zhu Lian, die—that can be decided by me."

Li Liu turned her head, for the first time carefully examining this masked pure martial artist. "Zhu Lian, your Great Way has promise."

Zhu Lian looked up, turned to that extremely dangerous young woman. "Miss Liu, it's a pity you're not joining Fallen Mountain."

Li Liu was a bit puzzled but too lazy to know the answer, continuing to explain the key points and taboos of the blessed land's operation.

She was no less proficient than Jiang Shangzhen.

Simple reason: historically, even setting aside her earliest Dao roots, Li Liu had managed a handful of cave heavens and blessed lands, including one cave heaven and one blessed land—the Ripple Cave Heaven in Middle Earth Divine Continent and the Blue Tide Blessed Land in Flowing Mist Continent. They had once been among the thirty-six and seventy-two, but their fate was even worse than the descending and rooted Pearly Bead Cave Heaven; now they were shattered and forgotten.

—

Pei Qian had been in seclusion for the past few days, doing one thing day and night: copying books at the desk on the first floor of the bamboo building.

She couldn't rush. She had to honestly write each character neatly.

The little pink-skirted girl, Chen Ruchu, the mountain's little housekeeper, and Zhou Mili, who was determined to be the bamboo building's right guardian, were both serving Pei Qian as she copied, bringing tea and water, massaging shoulders and back.

Finally, at noon one day, Pei Qian gently put down her brush, stood up, and made a posture of sinking qi into the dantian. "Divine skill complete!"

Chen Ruchu asked, "Really finished copying?"

Pei Qian squinted. "Not only paid off the debt, but also like Sister Bao, copied an extra ten days' worth."

Pei Qian crossed her arms and sneered. "Starting tomorrow, when I practice boxing, Senior Cui will know that a Pei Qian without distractions is not a Pei Qian he can casually nag at."

Chen Ruchu hesitated to speak.

Forget it—it's all a matter of one punch anyway.

She wouldn't pour cold water.

Zhou Mili quickly raised her hands and clapped rapidly.

Pei Qian leaned on the desk piled high with copied paper, playing with a few of her family heirlooms for a while, then put them away and walked around the desk, saying she would take them out for a stroll.

Chen Ruchu grabbed some melon seeds; Zhou Mili shouldered the walking stick.

Pei Qian swaggered toward the old cook's residence, intending to find the uncrossed junior master's wife her master had abducted from Beiju Lu Prefecture.

But she wasn't home.

Pei Qian went to find the old cook.

Halfway, a mongrel dog darted out. Pei Qian pounced, slapped the dog's head to the ground with one hand, grabbed its mouth with the other, twisted it skillfully, making the dog's head tilt.

Pei Qian crouched. "You want to rebel? Not showing your face for so long? Talk! Give me an explanation, and I'll spare your life!"

The mongrel could only whimper.

Pei Qian twisted again, the dog's head instantly turning. She nodded approvingly. "Good courage. In the face of a peerless expert who kills as easily as picking grass, you can remain silent. With that heroic spirit, you deserve to live."

The dog quickly wagged its tail.

But Pei Qian didn't let it go. "Death penalty can be spared, but life punishment cannot be escaped."

She raised one hand; Zhou Mili immediately handed her the walking stick. To beat a dog, you need a dog-beating stick—when poking a hornet's nest, the walking stick is even more useful, as Pei Qian had said. But Pei Qian said impatiently, "Melon seeds."

The pink-skirted girl quickly placed a handful of melon seeds in Pei Qian's hand. Pei Qian cracked seeds with one hand while keeping the dog's mouth twisted with the other. "Come, like the experts in the books, give a cold smile."

The dog pulled at its mouth.

Pei Qian said, "Switch. Like the villain in a martial arts romance—a sinister smile."

The dog changed its expression and pulled again.

Pei Qian frowned. The dog sensed trouble and struggled.

But Pei Qian grabbed it, stood up, spun once, and hurled the dog seven or eight zhang away.

Then, cracking seeds, she saw a man and a young woman standing nearby.

She tilted her head, stared for a long time, then suddenly beamed, bowed, and greeted.

Chen Ruchu bent at the waist and said, "Hello, Mr. Zhou."

Zhou Mili copied.

"This is our second meeting, right?"

Jiang Shangzhen looked at the little black charcoal-headed girl he had found interesting back then, and said with a smile, "Now you're Chen Ping'an's eldest disciple? Good. I think Chen Ping'an has good eyesight, willing to bring you out of Lotus Flower Blessed Land."

Pei Qian nodded vigorously like a pecking chicken.

This guy's flattery wasn't bad.

But this guy knew her master—his ancestors must have smoked green smoke; he should burn more incense.

So Pei Qian smiled. "Senior, have you been to the mountain god temple at the top?"

Jiang Shangzhen laughed. "Yes, I went."

Pei Qian asked again, "And that Dragon Prefecture City God Pavilion?"

That city god's little incense-fire figure was now half her little minion. Earlier, it had led her to a big hornet's nest, and afterward she had rewarded it with a copper coin. Before the City God Lord had taken up his post, they'd already known each other, and Sister Bao had been there too. Lately, though, that little follower hadn't shown up much. So whenever she had a chance, she still thought to add some incense for the pavilion.

Jiang Shangzhen shook his head. "Haven't actually been there."

After taking leave of Jiang Shangzhen, Pei Qian led the two of them to the top of the steps and sat together.

The girl Cen Yuanji, whom Zhu Lian had brought up the mountain, was climbing from the midsection, practicing boxing as she went. According to the little pink-skirted tattletale, Cen Yuanji had to walk three rounds of steps each day—one round from foot to summit and back.

The three little girls sat shoulder to shoulder, cracking seeds and whispering.

Jiang Shangzhen returned to his courtyard, shaking his head with a smile. "Now I know why the shoulder of that Pure Confucian from Southern Bossom Continent had a bright moon stolen. I reckon that Lotus Flower Blessed Land's big sun was also plucked by the old temple master, extracting the essence and placing it in one eye of this little girl."

Ya'er found this shocking.

Jiang Shangzhen glanced at her. "Frustrated? With all your hard cultivation, a lifetime of effort can't compare to someone else's single opportunity?"

Ya'er didn't dare speak.

Jiang Shangzhen smiled and took out a semi-immortal weapon, the future mountain-suppressing treasure of True Realm Sect. "I sincerely give it to you. Can you take it? Won't you die? You will, and you won't even know how—whether by Liu Laocheng, or Liu Zhimao, or those big and little guest elders from Jade South Sect. A little trick and you'll bite the bait, then die and fade away."

Ya'er waited quietly for the sect master to take back the semi-immortal weapon.

But Jiang Shangzhen clenched the orb and slapped it into the woman's brow, smiling. "It's yours. So you won't think that latching onto a big thigh lets you cultivate in peace. In a place surrounded by tigers and wolves, staying as naive as in Lotus Flower Blessed Land won't do."

Ya'er felt as if thrown into a cauldron of oil, her soul boiling. She clutched her head, writhing in pain on the ground.

Jiang Shangzhen had already waved his sleeve to create a small space.

"I'm going to use you to fish for the true natures of Liu Laocheng and Liu Zhimao. They come from a wild mountain background—ambitious, love freedom—I understand. If they can hold back, they deserve to enter the immortal realm and break the Nascent Soul bottleneck respectively, climbing high with me and enjoying the wind and moon together. If they can't resist, even if they just stir a thought, I'll be heartbroken—two great generals lost in vain."

Jiang Shangzhen sat cross-legged, poured himself a cup of tea. "Hardly any cultivator in the world realizes that only one's own nature is the true protector that can accompany one through life."

—

In a back alley of the South Garden Kingdom capital, a young man in blue sat on a bench that hadn't been changed for years, thinking.

Mr. Lu had taken his leave a few years ago, saying they might meet again outside if there was a chance, but not in this world.

By then, Mr. Lu was already the undisputed second-best in the world, on par with that old immortal of Lake Mountain Sect, Yu Zhenyi, who looked like a child and traveled by flying sword.

Moreover, under the leadership of General Dragon Martial Tang Tieyi, the Northern Jin Kingdom's army had campaigned north into the grasslands with brilliant achievements. After that, Tang Tieyi and the Northern Jin forces stopped major campaigns, leaving the grasslands to fall into father-killing-son, brother-killing-brother infighting.

Tang Tieyi had also gone north alone several times, using his saber Refined Master to kill countless grassland experts.

The Arm Saint Cheng Yuanshan, for some reason, after his trip to South Garden Kingdom, abandoned all his wealth and status on the grasslands and joined Lake Mountain Sect.

The Songlai Kingdom, under the puppet new emperor propped up by Lake Mountain Sect, was conducting a massive search for people suitable for cultivation.

Lu Fang's Bird's-Eye Summit and the Spring Tide Palace of the Hairpin Scholar Zhou Shi had been in mountain closure for a while.

But the young man in blue quietly observed these great trends of the world, spending more time reading and cultivating.

Mr. Mid-Autumn and Mr. Lu had each accompanied him—Cao Qinglang—on a tour of South Garden Kingdom's Five Sacred Peaks. It was both travel and cultivation. At that time, the boy had the book "True Forms of the Five Peaks." After National Teacher Mid-Autumn obtained this immortal item, fearing Yu Zhenyi would take it, he had tried to destroy it but failed. Later, after something Mr. Lu said, the national teacher entrusted the book to Cao Qinglang. Cao Qinglang could roughly guess that Mr. Lu's targeting of Yu Zhenyi was both for himself and for this mysterious immortal book.

The two teachers had different approaches to teaching Cao Qinglang.

Mr. Mid-Autumn taught gradually, with profound ritual etiquette. After all, Mid-Autumn was known as a literary national teacher and martial master.

Mr. Lu Tai taught a wide range of deep knowledge. And Mr. Lu's sudden rise in this world was unprecedented. His disciples, without exception, had become hegemon-level heroes.

A knock sounded.

Cao Qinglang went to open the door.

It was an old Confucian scholar with graying temples.

The national teacher of South Garden Kingdom.

Mid-Autumn and Cao Qinglang, who was half a disciple, sat down separately.

Mid-Autumn smiled. "Qinglang, when you were young, you had many questions—the origins of stars, the alternation of sun and moon, the roots of wind and rain. I, a village school teacher, couldn't answer. In the future, you can seek answers yourself."

Cao Qinglang nodded lightly.

Mid-Autumn was silent for a moment, then sighed. "But I hope that in the future, you can speak for this world, so that it doesn't become a chessboard where everyone is doomed to be a pawn."

Cao Qinglang said, "I will. That has some relation to my future skill, but it's not important. What's important is that I trust him."

Mid-Autumn smiled. "Then I'm relieved."

Relieved about this young scholar in blue whom he had watched grow year by year, and relieved about the white-clad, sword-bearing youth from back then.

Mid-Autumn hesitated.

Cao Qinglang said, "Sir, are you hesitating whether to stay in South Garden Kingdom or go to that other world?"

Mid-Autumn nodded. "I'm not so curious about how big the outside world is, but I do look forward to the sages' teachings outside."

Cao Qinglang's smile was radiant. "Don't worry, sir. He said the price of books outside isn't high either."

Mid-Autumn teased, "How old were you then? You remember everything he said so clearly."

Cao Qinglang murmured, "How could I forget? I won't forget."

They fell silent.

Mid-Autumn looked at the sky. "It's going to rain."

Cao Qinglang smiled. "The road is still there; we'll hold an umbrella."

—

The old fisherman, Wu Shuowen, had left Rouge Commandery with his disciple Zhao Luanluan and her brother Zhao Shuxia, beginning a journey across the landscape. Since the matter at Menglong Mountain was too big, Wu Shuowen didn't distrust Chen Ping'an, but caution was the mother of safety. So they traveled far, leaving Colorful Garment Kingdom.

First, they visited Comb Water Kingdom and paid respects to the Kingdom's Sword Saint, Song Yushao.

They got along, but didn't feel an immediate bond.

It can't be helped: not all friends of friends become close friends. It depends on fate.

But Song Yushao liked the two youngsters, especially his daughter-in-law, who now managed the family business. She was genuinely fond of Zhao Luanluan, a girl everyone could see was a cultivation seedling, despite her tragic background and simple nature. Perhaps it was also because she herself had no children yet; encountering a girl like Zhao Luanluan, who was pitiful and obedient, this former Great Li spy couldn't help but feel compassion.

The old man and the two children began heading north.

Because the further south they went, the more unsettled it became.

Wu Shuowen didn't dare gamble with the children's lives.

One day, they camped on a mountain peak. Zhao Luanluan sat breathing and meditating, while Zhao Shuxia practiced walking stakes.

Wu Shuowen watched with heartfelt comfort.

Luanluan's aptitude was naturally better, but the old man treated both children without favoritism.

Wu Shuowen carried a secret manual, transcribed word by word by Chen Ping'an: "The True Canon of Swordsmanship," and a replica of the Ju Huang sword that Chen Ping'an had once used, which Wu Shuowen carried on his back. He hadn't told Zhao Shuxia about them yet. According to their agreement with Chen Ping'an, Wu Shuowen would only hand over the two items when Zhao Shuxia had mastered boxing.

After practicing boxing, Zhao Shuxia stood still, looking into the distance.

Back in Rouge Commandery, when he had reunited with Mr. Chen after a long separation, Zhao Shuxia had only practiced over 163,000 punches.

At parting, Mr. Chen told him to practice until he reached 500,000 punches.

Zhao Shuxia knew his talent was poor, so he focused solely on boxing, using diligence to compensate for lack of ability.

At some point, Zhao Luanluan stood beside him and said softly, "Brother, do you want to become Mr. Chen's disciple?"

Zhao Shuxia scratched his head, embarrassed. "I don't dare to think about it."

How could he, Zhao Shuxia, dare to hope to become a disciple of a sword immortal like Mr. Chen?

Zhao Luanluan whispered, "Brother, but I always feel that Mr. Chen has high hopes for you."

Zhao Shuxia thought for a moment. "Regardless, I must practice those 500,000 punches! We'll talk about the future later."

Zhao Luanluan nodded.

Zhao Shuxia suddenly sighed.

The girl asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Zhao Shuxia said quietly, "I'm just saying, hypothetically. If I were lucky enough to become Mr. Chen's disciple, then what should I call you? Mistress? That would mess up the seniority!"

The girl's face flushed red, like peach blossoms suddenly blooming in the spring breeze.

She kicked Zhao Shuxia on the shin. "Zhao Shuxia! What nonsense are you talking?!"

Zhao Shuxia looked innocent, wincing in pain.

Wu Shuowen called out loudly, "I didn't hear anything!"

The girl's face burned even redder, and she ran off to be alone somewhere.

Zhao Shuxia turned and exchanged a smile with the old man—words unspoken.

Though their ages were far apart, they were both men.

But when Zhao Shuxia started practicing boxing again, it was different.

Wu Shuowen, watching the boy's monotonous training, sometimes felt dazed, as if Zhao Shuxia's talent was actually good?

Zhao Shuxia had indeed never been a martial arts prodigy. Even now, his fist intent was extremely thin—still not a genius.

But one day, as long as the youth persevered on this path, at least there was a possibility.

Under heaven, the fist intent closest to Chen Ping'an.

Only the unknown Zhao Shuxia.

—

At the border of the Green Luan Kingdom.

The Glassy Immortal was almost having a heartbreak.

That great immortal master Cui, in the guise of a white-clad youth, had a weak little child carrying him on his back.

The child wobbled along a rugged mountain path.

Cui Dongshan waved a snow-white sleeve, shouting "Giddyap, giddyap" as if riding a horse.

—

On the second floor of Fallen Mountain's bamboo building.

Pei Qian had barely dodged one punch when another struck her forehead, carrying her all the way to the wall, pinning her there with that fist.

The barefoot old man said expressionlessly, "I'm using a paper-thin fourth realm against your third realm. You've already died several times over. Are you trash?! Your master is a barely acceptable piece of trash, so you're a piece of trash unworthy of being Chen Ping'an's disciple!"

Pei Qian, seemingly hung on the wall, bleeding from all seven orifices, forced her eyes open and spat a mouthful of blood at the old man.

The old man didn't dodge, only suddenly increased the force of his fist. If this bamboo building were a common house, that little head would have caved in completely.

The old man sneered. "Not convinced? Can you even speak? A trash teacher teaches a trash disciple! If I were Chen Ping'an, I'd have told you to pack your things and get lost long ago, to avoid embarrassing me later!"

This punch had bloodied Pei Qian's face beyond recognition, all traces of blackness gone.

A thin arm trembled and rose—it could hardly be called a punch—just lightly touched the old man's shoulder.

Light as a feather, like scratching an itch?

The old man seemed furious. He changed his fist to a palm, grabbed her entire head, and flung her away casually. She flew sideways, hit the wall, and fell heavily to the ground.

Pei Qian had completely passed out.

The old man came to her side, crouched, and pointed at her in the air.

A moment later, he stood up, turned to the corridor outside the bamboo building, and said, "Drag her away."

The bamboo door swung open. The pink-skirted girl adeptly carried the limp, dark-skinned girl on her back and walked swiftly but softly down to the first floor.

The old man put his hands behind his back, strode out of the room, and came to the railing of the corridor.

The old man smiled silently, thoroughly delighted.

With that one punch, from now on, Pei Qian would be the strongest at every realm!