Chapter 550: Pity It Rains Water, Not Coins
Chen Ping'an had already stayed on Fushui Island for nearly ten days. During this time, he had successively asked Li Yuan to help with two tasks—besides the Golden Register Daoist Ritual for the Water Official's Disaster Relief, there was also helping to send a letter to Luopo Mountain.
Chen Ping'an couldn't guess this person's identity. He had a youthful face, but looked exhausted and mentally drained, as if he had encountered a bottleneck in his cultivation. Chen Ping'an had seen this kind of aura of a soul gradually decaying and spirit sinking and failing to rise on some old cultivators who deemed their own Great Path hopeless. Apart from being startled by Fushui Island's formation, Li Yuan wouldn't presume to land on the shore. Chen Ping'an grew increasingly unable to understand—just what had Li Liu's cultivation been like all these years in the Northern Juzhou Continent? Yet among so many landscape gazetteers, there wasn't a single record.
During this period, aside from diligently refining the landscape's spiritual energy and stabilizing and expanding the patterns of the two key acupoints of the Water Mansion and Mountain Shrine, Chen Ping'an would also concentrate his spirit like a mustard seed to internally inspect and patrol, watching the fierce sword aura charge like iron cavalry attacking a pass. On the first and fifteenth days of each month, he would use his sword tip to wear away at the Dragon-Slaying Platform, sending sparks flying in all directions, just like Master Ruan's blacksmithing and sword forging back home, filling the room with brilliance.
The Dragon Palace Cave Heaven had spring-like weather all year round—no bitter cold in winter, no scorching heat in summer. It rained frequently, both drizzling and torrential. Whenever it rained, Chen Ping'an noticed that cultivators from nearby islands, mostly Earth Immortals, would either bathe in the sweet rain, opening the gates of their own small human-body heaven and earth to rapidly absorb the watery spiritual energy, or they would sacrifice mountain treasures like jade vase spring bottles or inkstone drips to collect the rainwater, not letting a single drop touch the island's ground.
In his leisure time, he began flipping through that story collection where everyone eventually dies. The processes were all different, most had vastly different temperaments, their ways of death were all bizarre, and who ultimately killed them was even more varied.
Back then at the mountain peak of the Immortal Mansion ruins, within the stagnant river of time, this book had fallen to the ground after the great demon died, and was then given to him, Chen Ping'an, by Daoist Sun.
Chen Ping'an found a bamboo-handled oilpaper umbrella on Fushui Island. As long as he wasn't in cultivation at the time, whenever it rained, regardless of day or night, he would go out for a walk. He would circle Fushui Island once, a journey of about thirty li of intertwined mountain and water, walking alone under his umbrella.
Among the three plaques, the Chi Dragon jade plaque engraved with "Three Feet of Sweet Rain" that belonged to Li Liu had already been removed by Chen Ping'an and placed into his Within-Reach Item.
Li Yuan's "Jun Qing Yu Xiang" plaque for controlling the landscape formation, and the "Rest and Rest" wooden plaque for crossing the bridge of Water Dragon Sect, still hung at his waist. When walking in the rain, if his steps occasionally grew larger, there would be faint tapping sounds.
On this night of rain, Chen Ping'an still went out with his umbrella, calculating that Zhu Lian's reply should be arriving soon.
Chen Ping'an stopped in his tracks, gazing into the distance between the two islands of White Armor and Grey Beard. Suddenly, a magnificent carriage leaped out of the lake surface. The carriage was as large as a pavilion, with four corners like upturned eaves hung with bells. When the four snow-white horses trod water and ran, the bells chimed, like heavenly music in the rain. Behind the carriage came a small cluster of flower-embroidered servant girls and a large retinue of officials in red-purple court robes, following the carriage as it traveled on water.
On the carriage, there was no coachman driving the horses. Only the youth Li Yuan stood with a tall, slender beautiful woman. Her hair was coiled like a white jade flower bud, and she wore a finely woven, small-sleeved, cross-collared jacket with a light gauze outer layer that floated like mist.
The youth Li Yuan had changed into a round-collared yellow robe, wearing a white jade belt and black boots.
When this procession appeared, Chen Ping'an noticed unusual phenomena on the two large islands of White Armor and Grey Beard. Water mist spread onto the shore all around, enveloping them, so that soon only their rough outlines could be seen. But Chen Ping'an wasn't sure if this was because the island cultivators had activated their mountain-guarding formations, or if someone from the carriage side was manipulating water magic to prevent the island cultivators from easily observing the scene on the lake.
The carriage rushed straight toward Chen Ping'an. Without directly landing, it stopped about one li outside Fushui Island. Only Li Yuan and the high-bunned woman got off the carriage and walked toward the island.
The woman seemed to have temporarily removed her illusion technique, revealing her originally vague features. She had a pair of golden eyes—undoubtedly one of the local landscape deities.
Li Yuan and the woman walked together to Chen Ping'an. Li Yuan introduced with a smile, "This is Lady Nanxun Water Hall, who oversees the wind and rain of the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven. Young Master Chen can call her Madam Shen."
Although the rain was falling heavily, Chen Ping'an immediately put away his oilpaper umbrella and addressed her as "Madam Shen."
The Water Hall goddess performed a deep curtsy: "Shen Lin, a retainer of Nanxun Hall, pays respects to Young Master Chen."
After she straightened up, she lightly flicked her sleeve, and the rain above Fushui Island ceased.
Chen Ping'an was accustomed to looking directly at people when speaking, and so inadvertently noticed the Water Goddess's true face. Her complexion was like celadon glaze, but not only that—her "porcelain face" was covered with fine, dense cracks crisscrossing in all directions. When one looked closely, it appeared somewhat horrifying. Understanding dawned on Chen Ping'an. He didn't pretend not to have seen anything. Clutching his oilpaper umbrella under his arm, he clasped his hands in apology to this Water Goddess, whose golden body was in a precarious state.
Shen Lin seemed somewhat surprised and smiled, "Young Master Chen need not do this. If this humble deity's appearance has frightened you and ruined the mood, that would be a great sin."
Li Yuan burst into laughter, seeming to find this statement amusing.
But Chen Ping'an didn't laugh, so Li Yuan had to reluctantly suppress his smile, feeling snubbed. If those fellows from the front ranks of the Water Dragon Sect's Ancestral Hall registry from the early years were still alive, there would have been a great chorus of laughter all around by now.
Chen Ping'an held his oilpaper umbrella in one hand and extended the other hand sideways.
Shen Lin glanced at Li Yuan, who quickly signaled her with his eyes. Only then did she walk side by side with that Young Master Chen. Li Yuan then clasped his hands behind his head and slowly followed behind the two.
The Nanxun Water Hall was the foremost among the many water deities of the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven, not to mention the mountain gods. Within this small cave heaven, the ones with the least status were those small mountain gods seemingly imprisoned in cages surrounded by vast waters. Some heroic spirits from the Great Yuan Dynasty awaiting official enfeoffment by the Lu court, or renowned ministers and martyrs from other small states whose souls didn't dissipate after death—once they heard they might be thrown into the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven to be enfeoffed as gods, they might even contemplate dying again. It wasn't just selfish motives at play; they feared that entering this small cave heaven would bring too many restrictions. How could mountain incense compare to water incense? More importantly, entering this small heaven meant leaving their homeland. As deities, how could they give back to their own country's landscape fortune? Therefore, any heroic spirit regarded serving as a landscape deity in a small cave heaven as a form of demotion or exile in officialdom. They would rather be a small-town City God than a mountain god in a cave heaven.
And Shen Lin's self-introduction as a "retainer of Nanxun Hall" was quite meaningful. Within the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven, which spanned eight thousand li in circumference and contained over a thousand islands of varying sizes, the water fortune was the richest in the entire continent. Currently, there were as many as thirty-two lake lords, river earls, and river goddesses. Along with the main city, the twelve large islands all had mountain gods, city gods, and civil and military temples. Compared to water gods, the number of deities was even greater.
Li Yuan looked at the "woman" not far ahead and sighed inwardly.
Fellow sufferers.
But what the Water Dragon Sect could do, relying on year after year of Golden Register Daoist Rituals to increase incense offerings, could only patch up Nanxun Hall like repairing a house in the marketplace. After all, it wasn't as direct or effective as his own role as Water Steward in absorbing incense and refining essence. In the end, this was where cave heavens fell short compared to blessed lands. Cave heavens were only suitable for cultivators to practice peacefully in small groups—natural pure and quiet places where it was hard to be worldly. Blessed lands, on the other hand, were vast with many people, conducive to the gathering of incense from the people, making them the natural dojos for deities.
Chen Ping'an was getting along quite well with Madam Shen.
It was a pity that the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven, unlike immortal mountains like Spring Dew Garden and Multicolored Bird Manor, didn't have bound volumes of collections to help people understand local customs.
In fact, this was the first time Chen Ping'an had heard of the Nanxun Water Hall.
However, deities bearing the title of Water Hall usually had considerable backgrounds.
In the Booklamp Lake, near Green Gorge Island, on the Pearl Hairpin Island, the island master Liu Chongrun, as a deposed eldest princess, had a legendary Water Hall in her former kingdom, which had attracted the covetous attention of a sword cultivator from the Zhu Ying Dynasty. Of course, that Nascent Soul sword cultivator from the Zhu Ying imperial clan was also calculating to gain both wealth and beauty. Chen Ping'an had witnessed the marvels of the Water Hall's stored medicinal pills, which even Earth Immortals would covet. According to Liu Chongrun, the most precious kind of water pill, if just one were thrown out, could raise hundred-foot waves in Booklamp Lake as people fought over it.
Before Chen Ping'an left Luopo Mountain, Liu Chongrun hadn't yet truly finalized the relocation arrangements with Zhu Lian. In fact, Chen Ping'an didn't quite understand why Liu Chongrun insisted on splitting the female cultivators of Pearl Hairpin Island in two—leaving the Ancestral Hall in Booklamp Lake while sending most of the core disciples to Dragon Spring Commandery to cultivate. Now that Booklamp Lake had rules, and with Jiang Shangzhen's True Mirror Sect in charge, it was like night and day compared to the lawless Booklamp Lake of before. To put it bluntly, Liu Chongrun's meager possessions wouldn't tempt the True Mirror Sect into covetousness.
If she moved to Dragon Spring Commandery, she'd still be living under someone else's roof. Chen Ping'an would still collect the immortal coins owed by Pearl Hairpin Island, not one less. With Pearl Hairpin Island going to such trouble and Liu Chongrun spending so much wealth, Chen Ping'an truly couldn't fathom how Liu Chongrun conducted business.
Just as Chen Ping'an didn't understand the relationship between Li Liu and Li Yuan, nor the connection between Shen Lin and Li Yuan, he could only exchange polite pleasantries with this Nanxun Hall Water Goddess along the way.
Having grown accustomed to this practice at Green Gorge Island in Booklamp Lake, Chen Ping'an was already extremely skilled at it, responding flawlessly. His words were all polite, yet without giving a feeling of distance or coldness. For instance, he would humbly ask Shen Lin about the origins of the Princess Ascension Stele on Fushui Island. Shen Lin naturally told him everything she knew without reservation. As one of the two oldest ancient deities in the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven, alongside Water Steward Li Yuan, she knew the affairs of her own territory like the back of her hand.
Li Yuan listened to the two of them, meeting for the first time, chatting animatedly up ahead.
He found it somewhat amusing.
But beneath the amusement, he also felt some sorrow.
That lofty River Common Master, after countless years, had finally managed to visit this Dragon Palace Cave Heaven, a summer retreat along the Ji River. And what happened? She couldn't even be bothered to glance at the Nanxun Water Hall, couldn't even be bothered to reprimand this Shen Lin, who had served without great merit but not without hard work.
Li Yuan could even be certain that if not for this "Mr. Chen's" esteemed presence, that River Common Master probably wouldn't have spared him, this Water Steward who had guarded a summer palace for countless years, a second glance.
Truly heartless.
Li Yuan always felt that both he and Shen Lin, as deities of not insignificant rank, had become sufficiently indifferent to worldly human affairs. But compared to that unattainable ancient great god, they were like lovesick mortals.
Shen Lin seemed quite enthusiastic in conversation, taking the initiative to introduce the local customs and traditions of the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven to that Young Master Chen.
This was exactly what Chen Ping'an most wanted to hear.
Ever since Chen Ping'an first traveled far from home with Little Bottle and the others, it had always been this way.
In the mountains, ask the woodcutter; on the water, ask the boatman; entering a city or passing through a town, he would ask the local people. In those days, Chen Ping'an had done it all himself. Even Li Baoping, who thought most carefully and did things very meticulously, wanting to share her little master uncle's burdens, Chen Ping'an still wouldn't feel at ease.
After that, when traveling alone in all directions, it was still the same.
If he felt he couldn't fully understand any unfamiliar territory or see its veins clearly, he would find it hard to feel at ease.
This probably had a lot to do with a series of incidents: the bridal-dress female ghost blocking his path, the incident at Eagle Peak Fort, accidentally entering Lotus Flower Blessed Land, and experiencing the behind-the-scenes deadly schemes in the Ghost Realm Valley.
Chen Ping'an knew that if his nature went to extremes on this matter and he didn't change direction, it would become a difficult pass on his cultivation path.
This thought occurred to him only after meeting Li Liu.
Because after comparing Li Liu's words and actions here, Chen Ping'an realized that even when he returned home, except when sitting alone in the ancestral house on Mud Bottle Alley and managing not to think too much, elsewhere—even in the bamboo pavilion on Luopo Mountain or the shop in Qilong Lane—he had grown accustomed to immersing himself in that paranoid state of mind of "I know everything, not a single triviality missed." That's why Chen Ping'an so envied those two immortal divine abilities: compressing a thousand li to a single inch, and the divine being's palm-viewing mountains and rivers.
Especially when Li Liu casually remarked, "If your mental state is unstable, no matter how far you walk, you're still going in circles against a ghost wall." That was like awakening Chen Ping'an, the dreamer.
Chen Ping'an dared to say he had always known what he wanted, where he wanted to go, and what kind of person he wanted to become.
But along the journey, the road had always been bumpy and rough. It wasn't entirely due to the workings of fate in the great heaven and earth; he himself, Chen Ping'an, had also "invited many blessings and disasters upon himself."
That's why he sat on the rooftop that day, feeling the heaven and earth was vast and boundless, not knowing where to place his next step.
The ten-year agreement: become a Golden Body martial artist and return to Inverted Mountain.
Rebuild a Longevity Bridge and successfully refine five lifebound objects.
Become a true swordsman in his own eyes, and strive to become a great sword immortal who attained great freedom.
But human strength was limited, and so was mental capacity.
At present, how could he, Chen Ping'an, have only these three major matters to consider in such breadth and depth? How could he merely owe a few thousand Grain Rain Coins? Were only these personal matters all that had to be done?
Matters were tangled like hemp, of varying sizes.
How should he prioritize them? How should he allocate each day's mental energy, effort, and time according to his own principles, onto each specific matter?
Chen Ping'an subconsciously stopped in his tracks.
The Nanxun Hall Water Goddess also imperceptibly halted.
Li Yuan, who had been idly doing nothing behind the two, was carefully counting how many tiny mustard-seed-sized pearls (special products of the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven) were embedded in Shen Lin's light gauze dharma robe, which weighed at most three or four liang. He had already counted over nine thousand.
This visit by Shen Lin wasn't at his, Li Yuan's, initiative. Rather, the brief appearance of that River Common Master earlier had stirred a trace of divine resonance in this Nanxun Hall retainer. But she didn't dare to show herself rashly, so she had to wait until that sensation completely dissipated before following the faint clues to find him, the Great River's Water Steward. She didn't dare ask directly, only probing indirectly. Li Yuan found it headache-inducing, so he just played dumb. This was such a major matter that no matter how much Li Yuan pitied this Water Goddess, he didn't dare casually leak heavenly secrets.
But he simply couldn't withstand Shen Lin's persistence, so he had to use a compromise method that wouldn't constitute favoritism—taking her along to Fushui Island. After all, as the foremost deity of this small heaven and earth, patrolling the landscape far and wide in her carriage was her duty. Unfortunately, that "Mr. Chen" whom he had referred to as Young Master Chen didn't have that "Three Feet of Sweet Rain" jade plaque hanging at his waist. The young man wasn't old, but he was too seasoned. His speech was extremely cautious. Shen Lin would probably have to return empty-handed.
As the leading authority over the landscape here, the Nanxun Water Hall actually had a somewhat questionable legitimacy. No dynasty could interfere with the enfeoffment of all the Water Hall's deity attendants, and even successive generations of academy mountain masters usually wouldn't get involved. For example, when the current academy saint, Zhou Mi, had just taken office not long ago, he had a gentleman deliver ten enfeoffment scrolls to the Water Dragon Sect's Ancestral Hall, all concerning the major and minor divine positions of the Nanxun Water Hall. Only the spaces for names were left blank, for Sect Master Sun Jie to give to the Nanxun Water Hall within the cave heaven. The meaning was simple: let Shen Lin, whose "small court" was already extremely bloated, figure it out herself. He, Zhou Mi, had come to the Northern Juzhou Continent to do scholarship. He couldn't be bothered with all this messy business.
Shen Lin soon reciprocated. Except for retaining a few key divine positions, she abolished many nominal offices that followed ancient ritual systems in one go. In the end, according to the official positions on Saint Zhou Mi's enfeoffment edicts, within the Nanxun Water Hall, which originally had over twenty water fortune deities, she retained only ten orthodox divine positions recognized by the Confucian school.
At first, Shao Jingzhi, the master of the Southern Sect who had a close relationship with the Nanxun Water Hall, had privately advised Madam Shen not to do this—it was a waste of over ten divine positions, and since academy saint Zhou Mi had made it clear he wouldn't bother with the Nanxun Water Hall's operations, why go to the extra trouble? But when Zhou Mi later left the academy and beat those foul-mouthed great cultivators until they were "full of dog farts," Shao Jingzhi visited the Nanxun Water Hall again and admitted that he had nearly harmed Madam Shen.
Shen Lin noticed the young man beside her was lost in thought, his mind wandering.
She didn't consider this an affront. For a cultivator to be able to relax their mental state like this could even be considered a form of intangible trust.
Chen Ping'an quickly gathered his scattered thoughts and apologized, "Madam Shen, I'm sorry. My mind was wandering just now."
Shen Lin smiled and shook her head.
But she had already taken her leave, so she invited the young man to visit the Nanxun Water Hall when he had time.
Chen Ping'an nodded in agreement, then felt somewhat helpless. Li Liu had said she was going to the main city and would return to Fushui Island afterward, but now that she had gone, he estimated she would directly leave the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven and Water Dragon Sect.
When he asked Li Yuan, Li Yuan only said he didn't know.
Shen Lin took her leave and walked toward the shore. Mist rose from beneath her feet, and in the blink of an eye, she had returned to that carriage. She turned the horses' heads and sped away like wind and lightning. After dashing several li on the water, it seemed to dive beneath the lake's surface. The carriage, along with the attendant maidens and civil and military divine officials, vanished in an instant.
Li Yuan slowly withdrew his gaze, inwardly feeling some regret.
If this young man had been just a little smarter, or a little less smart, Shen Lin wouldn't have merely invited him to visit the Nanxun Water Hall. She would have presented him with a heavy gift, one he absolutely couldn't refuse, and would have given it as naturally and reasonably as possible. At the very least, it would have been a superior treasure from the Nanxun Water Hall's collection—a top-tier water magic treasure with a rank close to a demigod weapon. Because this gift wasn't actually for this young man. It was like a tribute meticulously prepared by local officials, presented to the owner of that "Three Feet of Sweet Rain" jade plaque. If "Young Master Chen" was willing to accept it, Shen Lin wouldn't feel the slightest reluctance and would be even more grateful for his acceptance. If he showed even a hint of willingness, Shen Lin would still have more heavy gifts to give, even if she had to dismantle half the Nanxun Water Hall.
Unfortunately, "Mr. Chen" had silently missed out on a karmic opportunity.
Was there any cultivator in the world who thought immortal treasures were too abundant? Just like them, the landscape deities—who among them thought their incense essence was a few more catties or taels too much?
Probably not.
What was more regrettable was that Li Yuan couldn't remind him of anything. Otherwise, an unwitting misstep might ruin everything, harming Shen Lin, whose golden body was already rotting like a piece of rotten mud and decayed wood, and also causing him, this minor Water Steward, to be unable to bear the consequences.
Chen Ping'an also watched the carriage journey into the distance. Standing beside him was the youth in a yellow robe, white jade belt, and black boots. The complex expression that flickered across his face was discreetly observed by Chen Ping'an.
Li Yuan took out a sealed letter and said, "Mr. Chen, this is a reply from your hometown. From sending to receiving, the Water Dragon Sect won't notice anything."
In truth, this letter felt somewhat heavy in his hands.
This was due to the distinction between mountains and water.
Because the letter had been set with clever mountain-and-water restrictions by a righteous mountain deity.
As a Great River Water Steward, holding this letter unavoidably felt a bit "hot."
Chen Ping'an took the sealed letter and saw four large characters on the envelope, smiling knowingly.
The four characters read: "Master, Open in Person."
It was unmistakably his first disciple's handwriting. The strokes followed his master's style—neat and orderly. Clearly, she had been very careful when writing.
Chen Ping'an first put the sealed letter into his sleeve.
Li Yuan was about to take his leave. After all, that person had said that Mr. Chen was to cultivate in peace here and should not be disturbed.
The Nanxun Water Hall deity's tour had brought her here, and she had stayed on the shore for a while. Li Yuan actually felt a bit guilty. But he figured that this young man's umbrella-carrying walks probably didn't count as "pure cultivation," did they?
As soon as Shen Lin left, the rain curtain quickly returned over Fushui Island.
Chen Ping'an opened his umbrella. Li Yuan said with a smile, "Mr. Chen, don't mind me."
Chen Ping'an hesitated, as if about to speak, but then dismissed some questions he had been considering.
What was the point of knowing where Madam Shen ranked in the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven? Did he really need to pick up the thread of this line?
It seemed unnecessary.
Li Yuan's hard-to-hide aged appearance, this Nanxun Hall goddess's golden body on the verge of shattering—he, Chen Ping'an, a newcomer, had picked up one or two threads buried beneath the water, learned the truth. If it aligned with or contradicted some of his principles, should he then interfere? When we can know or not know many external matters, to deliberately seek out trouble—isn't that the other extreme of cultivators completely ignoring external matters?
Chen Ping'an felt that if he could straighten out this fundamental thread, it would be a great cultivation of the mind for himself.
Thinking this way, he actually envied those who had an extremely firm "heart of asking the Dao" from the very beginning.
If one set aside good and evil, right and wrong, and only spoke of the original heart.
For example, Lin Shouyi, who had taken a liking to that book "Cloud-Reading from Afar" at first sight.
And that girl Zhu Lu, whose goals were clear and actions decisive.
Li Yuan asked, "Mr. Chen, do you have some doubts?"
This was a redundant question.
A cultivator without doubts or worries would never, out of sheer boredom, go out for an umbrella-walking stroll whenever it rained, stopping and starting, unsettled, occasionally grabbing an extra walking staff as if to write characters or draw talismans on the ground.
Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "I'm just a bit anxious waiting for a reply from home. It's nothing."
Li Yuan didn't ask another word.
Chen Ping'an parted ways with Li Yuan, returned to the residence, put away his oilpaper umbrella and leaned it outside the door. The heavy rain still hadn't stopped.
He gently shook off the traces of rainwater from his body, entered the house, and sat down. He opened the envelope, inside which were two letters.
Zhu Lian had carefully replied about the recent situation at Luopo Mountain and the circumstances around Dragon Spring Commandery.
Pei Qian only wrote about some trivial, insignificant matters in her letter.
Actually, the moment he received this reply, Chen Ping'an already knew a piece of extremely good news.
Wei Po had already broken through his cultivation realm.
Otherwise, the sealed letter wouldn't have possessed the mountain-restriction attributes unique to Piyun Mountain.
Chen Ping'an didn't open the letter. Instead, he stood up, left the house, walked to the eaves, and gazed at the rain curtain between heaven and earth.
When it rains in the world, one either takes shelter at home, shelters in a foreign land, walks with an umbrella, or gets soaked in the rain.
Chen Ping'an turned his head to look at the oilpaper umbrella leaning against the wall.
Perhaps some principle was like that oilpaper umbrella. On clear days, there's no need to take it out.
When it rains, then come and open the umbrella.
But in the marketplace, no one knows when it will rain. So whether to carry an umbrella at all times becomes a headache-inducing choice. Carrying it adds weight; on sunny days, holding it in hand for others to see is even more improper.
And for cultivators walking on the mountains, there's no need to hold an umbrella to shelter from the rain.
Chen Ping'an scratched his head, somewhat troubled.
After much thought, he turned and walked toward the house. His last thought was that if this heavy rain were falling as Grain Rain Coins, that would be wonderful. If not, even Snowflake Coins would do.
Just after Li Yuan had gone into the sea of clouds not long ago, the Water Goddess Shen Lin arrived shortly after.
As long as the two of them intended to conceal their movements within the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven, even the two Nascent Soul cultivators from the Water Dragon Sect stationed here wouldn't have any clues.
The two Jade Pure realm cultivators of the Water Dragon Sect had both chosen not to stay permanently guarding the sect's foundational location.
This was a silent show of respect to Water Steward Li Yuan and Water Goddess Shen Lin.
Except for the highest-specification Golden Register Daoist Ritual, Sect Master Sun Jie wouldn't enter this place for any Jade Register or Yellow Register rituals.
Compared to the Northern Sect, the Southern Sect's Shao Jingzhi had a better relationship with the Nanxun Water Hall and would visit Shen Lin every few years.
Shen Lin's expression was complex. "Li Yuan, can't you just say one word?"
Li Yuan only smiled, saying nothing.
Even if the answer were just the word "cannot," it would be enough for Shen Lin to guess the correct direction.
But Li Yuan said nothing at all, from beginning to end. He even referred to that Mr. Chen as merely one of two acquaintances' juniors, letting Shen Lin know to address him only as "Young Master Chen." That way, she couldn't determine the truth.
As long as she wasn't certain, this Nanxun Hall retainer would be betting her life if she did anything superfluous.
Shen Lin tried a different approach, asking tentatively, "Should I go ask Shao Jingzhi?"
Li Yuan replied with a smile, "Suit yourself."
A thread of light leaked from Shen Lin's golden eyes as she stared fixedly at this fellow Water Steward.
Li Yuan remained calm and collected.
A Great River Water Steward and a maiden serving at a summer palace.
Their divine ranks were roughly equivalent, like in a wealthy household below the mountain—one was a servant managing the ancestral hall's incense, the other a maidservant in charge of courtyard chores.
Neither could control the other, and neither was an indispensable important figure.
If Shen Lin actually went to ask Shao Jingzhi, at most it would be a trivial matter smaller than a sesame seed; at worst, if that person learned of Shen Lin's action and took offense, it would be a capital crime of privately investigating that person's whereabouts. Then this Shen Lin, whose golden body could otherwise linger for another two or three hundred years, would no longer need to worry about her golden body's decay and collapse. One casual slap, and she'd be gone.
It wasn't that Li Yuan didn't want to help Shao Jingzhi through this calamity; he simply didn't dare. Wasn't he also a clay Buddha crossing the river—barely able to save himself?
Allowing her to set foot on Fushui Island was already Li Yuan stuffing several bear gallbladders and leopard hearts into his own golden body—the utmost he could do.
Shen Lin smiled bitterly. "They say a close neighbor is better than a distant relative. You and I have been neighbors for so many years..."
Li Yuan's face darkened, and he frowned. "Maiden of the Summer Palace Water Hall, Shen Lin, I advise you to stop right there!"
Fear stirred in Shen Lin's heart, and she could only bow in apology.
Li Yuan flicked his sleeve and left.
Shen Lin dejectedly left the sea of clouds, returned to the lake, and used her water-repelling divine ability to head back home.
When she reached the magnificent Water Hall at the bottom of the lake, as large as a dynasty's capital city, she didn't directly traverse the water to her residence. Every entrance and exit still required passing through that gate hung with the plaque "Wind and Rain in Good Time," and she could only use the side gate.
That main gate had never been opened. Even when the Water Dragon Sect's sect master visited, or even when the successive Yang family clan leaders from the Great Yuan Dynasty's Chongxuan Office, or the Floating Grass Sword Lake sword immortal Li Cai arrived at this majestic Water Mansion, they could only use the side gate.
After Shen Lin crossed the side gate, her form flickered and vanished, reappearing beside a flower garden in her own courtyard. Inside were planted all kinds of exotic flowers and rare plants. The precious birds that flitted through the flowers and chirped on the branches had long been extinct in the Righteousness World.
A goddess appeared to report, "My Lady, the Southern Sect's Shao Jingzhi has come to call. Will you see him or not?"
Shen Lin hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "Say I'm in seclusion and not convenient for receiving guests."
While Shen Lin was refusing Shao Jingzhi.
Li Yuan was enjoying greater freedom. Using an illusion technique to change his appearance, he became an ordinary-looking youth in yellow robes and slowly descended the white jade steps. After passing through the city gate, he walked toward the bridge tavern to buy some wine.
He didn't go to the fifth floor. Instead, he randomly picked a seat in the first-floor hall because it was livelier. Since both rituals were over, compared to the earlier packed house when Chen Ping'an drank—tables hard to find, requiring sharing—there were now many more empty seats. Li Yuan could come and go freely in the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven and on the Great River Bridge, as they were all the Ji River territory. But ever since the Water Dragon Sect established the mountain and performed the minor ritual for the Ji River Middle Shrine, Li Yuan, besides guarding the cave heaven, at most would leave the cave heaven. Each time, he had to change his appearance and attire, walking back and forth on this long bridge, but he seldom walked all the way to either end.
Serving dutifully for several hundred or several thousand years—even doing it for ten thousand years would only be considered one's duty. But not adhering to certain rules, even once, for a landscape deity of his rank, might become an irreparable disaster.
Now that Shen Lin's golden body was on the verge of collapse, she showed signs of wanting to break the rules and desperately maintain her divine position. Li Yuan simply couldn't bear to watch.
In truth, after Li Yuan had seen that person in this life again, he had completely given up hope, with no trace of luck remaining.
Because he could finally be certain that whether it was Water Steward Li Yuan or Nanxun Hall's Shen Lin, whether they lived or died, and whether all deities' golden bodies collapsed, that person simply didn't care.
This was also why Li Yuan didn't offer more reminders to Shen Lin. Since that person no longer cared about the presence or absence of the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven or the entire Ji River's landscape, wouldn't Shen Lin secretly crossing the line be ignored too?
What if Shen Lin inadvertently succeeded in taking the risk? Would that mean he, Li Yuan, could also follow suit, repair his golden body, and extend his own life?
Li Yuan actually didn't like this terrible feeling.
That's why he wanted to come to this tavern full of worldly flavors, drinking to drown his sorrows.
Li Yuan didn't know what that Mr. Chen on Fushui Island was worried about, needing to go out for umbrella walks every time it rained. But as for himself, Li Yuan thought that even if all the rain in the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven were alcoholic drink and he drank it all, it wouldn't be enough to wash away all his sorrows.
Besides, no matter what worldly alcohol or immortal brew a deity drank, they couldn't get drunk.
Li Yuan wanted to force out a single tear to pity himself, but he couldn't even do that.
So he started drinking the Third Watch Wine, slapping the table with both hands, and howling dryly.
Just like a human youth who toppled over drunk, without much capacity for alcohol.
A drinker not far away roared angrily, "You little bastard, you're annoying as hell. Shut your mouth, now!"
Li Yuan wiped his face, turned around with a wronged expression, and rubbed his hands back and forth on the table. "I'm in a bad mood right now. What's wrong with howling a few times?"
The man sneered, "You're ruining my drinking pleasure. Don't you think you deserve a beating, kid?"
Li Yuan raised his hands and rubbed his cheeks.
He was planning to take this fellow to the Ji River, not for drinking, but for drinking water, and it would be free.
Just then, an old man and a young female cultivator happened to come downstairs. The latter had a Water Dragon Sect Ancestral Hall core disciple jade plaque hanging at her waist.
The old man looked at the man and said with a smile, "Don't argue, don't argue. It's bad for harmony."
The man angrily retorted, "Old man, who do you think you are?!"
The old man chuckled and said, "I'm just someone who pays the bill. I'll cover the drinks for all the guests on the first floor today. Consider it as everyone doing me, Huan Yun, a small favor."
The man fell silent immediately, stood up, and clasped his hands in salute. "So it's the Old True Man Huan. Pardon my ignorance!"
Huan Yun returned the salute, walked down the stairs, and indeed settled the bill for all the drinkers, drawing a full round of applause.
Li Yuan had glanced at the old man earlier. He was a Golden Core old Earth Immortal with a loosening bottleneck, accompanied by a young woman who had just reached the Golden Core stage. If he remembered correctly, her name was Bai Bi, and she was quite valued by Sect Master Sun Jie. This little girl had good fortune; no wonder Sun Jie was cultivating her with all his might. Sun Jie insisted on giving that Dimensional Gold Talisman, which even Nascent Soul elders would covet, to his own core disciple. Even using the sect's principle that Bai Bi had reached the Golden Core stage, it still smacked heavily of embezzlement for personal gain. Within the Ancestral Hall, both the Southern and Northern Sects were quite displeased. Especially Shao Jingzhi, who generally didn't openly contradict Sun Jie, even let a few harsh words slip. At that time, as the true master of the Water Dragon Sect's Ancestral Hall, Li Yuan was hiding inside an ancestral portrait, secretly enjoying the show. It was quite entertaining.
In truth, Sun Jie was a very good family head.
He treated the Southern and Northern Sects with perfect fairness.
But that very fairness became the root of another kind of discontent among the people.
If Sun Jie had been willing to shamelessly favor the Northern Sect disciples exclusively, there wouldn't have been so many underhanded dealings.
If he had also designated the next sect master candidate early on, stubbornly continuing the tradition of favoring the North over the South, then they could watch whether Shao Jingzhi and the Southern Sect would suffer and eventually have to bow to fate.
Being too agreeable and too concerned with fairness—
That was the crux of Sun Jie's difficulty in truly commanding universal obedience among the people.
Otherwise, among the elders and guest elders in the Ancestral Hall who sat in the same row as the Southern Sect's Shao Jingzhi, two or three would have already moved to sit on the Northern Sect's side.
Of course, if Sun Jie could break through to the Immortal realm, all problems would disappear like smoke in air.
Unfortunately, Sun Jie lacked the aptitude and karmic fortune.
Li Yuan was now drinking with his head down.
Huan Yun and Bai Bi didn't bother him, being quite savvy.
After leaving the tavern, Bai Bi and Huan Yun walked to one end of the bridge. Bai Bi smiled lightly and said, "Old True Man, although I've reached the Golden Core stage, I haven't been at it long, and my foundation is still shallow. I haven't yet established a separate residence. I hope that the next time you visit our sect, I'll already have claimed an island in the Dragon Palace Cave Heaven. Then I'll definitely entertain you properly."
Huan Yun smiled and replied, "Fellow Daoist Bai, once you've confirmed which island in the cave heaven you can establish your residence on, you can send me a letter in advance. I'll come running to offer my congratulations."
Bai Bi nodded with a smile and made a Daoist salute to this Daoist old true man. "A great kindness needs no words of thanks."
Huan Yun sighed with some emotion, returned the salute, and said, "Cultivation is not easy. Let us encourage each other."
Once one becomes a Golden Core guest, one is of our kind.
As long as Huan Yun wasn't yet a Nascent Soul cultivator, regardless of their age difference, he and this young Water Dragon Sect core disciple were fellow Daoists of the same generation.
Bai Bi didn't act overly eager. She simply watched the old true man leave the bridgehead and depart.
But this young Golden Core Earth Immortal's gratitude came from the bottom of her heart.
In truth, after returning to the Water Dragon Sect, she had somewhat regretted not discussing the aftermath with Huan Yun earlier. Even if she had to present him with a heavy gift, Bai Bi wouldn't have hesitated. That way, she could have prevented the Southern Sect from using this opportunity—with an ulterior motive—to suppress her, Bai Bi, not only harming her prospects in the Water Dragon Sect but also implicating her sect master master.
For example, there was Wu Linting, who came from a rogue cultivator background and served as a Water Dragon Sect elder, but was more accurately a Northern Sect elder. He had nearly moved his Ancestral Hall chair to the opposite side because of this matter.
Her master was also furious.
Fortunately, there was a silver lining after all.
Bai Bi had never imagined that, without any exchange between them, Huan Yun would be willing to speak those fair words for her. Not only did he provide timely help by clearing her of all suspicion within the sect, but he also added luster to her reputation. During her training at that site, he portrayed her as a cautious and prudent person. Whatever needed to be said, whether true or not, Huan Yun said it to the disciplinary ancestor of the Water Dragon Sect's Ancestral Hall. What shouldn't be said, the old true man didn't mention a single word.
When her relieved master told her about this, Bai Bi was so shocked that her expression was one of utter disbelief.
Sun Jie hadn't said much at the time, only telling his disciple Bai Bi to cherish this hard-won good karmic connection among the mountains.
Later, when he heard that Huan Yun had become a nominal elder of Cloud City, Sun Jie had to remind the inexperienced Bai Bi that if she had the chance, she could inconspicuously return to Lotus Kingdom and then "conveniently" visit Cloud City. At the very least, its city lord, Shen Zhenze, was also a Golden Core Earth Immortal.
Bai Bi committed all this to memory.
So this time, she warmly invited Huan Yun, who was touring the mountains and waters of the Northern Pavilion Kingdom, to visit the Water Dragon Sect.
When Huan Yun learned that she hadn't yet established a residence on an island, he became even more meticulous. The old true man excused himself, saying he had been away too long and needed to return to his mountain immediately.
Thus followed that conversation between the two Golden Core Earth Immortals at the bridgehead.
These were skills of dealing with people and navigating the world that masters and preachers couldn't teach and wouldn't deliberately impart.
Bai Bi stood alone at the bridgehead, deeply moved.
She had always been obsessed with that golden rule of the mountains: "If you can't let go of worldly affairs, you can't become a mountain dweller."
Now it seemed that in mountain cultivation, all around, at various levels, in every place on the mountains, weren't there also so many cultivators? Perhaps the so-called "letting go and not caring" wasn't that convenient shortcut of completely disregarding everything and doing as one pleased.
Li Yuan leaned on the bridge railing. Though separated from the bridgehead by over a hundred li, he could still clearly see the silhouette of that young Golden Core female cultivator. He thought her aptitude was actually quite good.
Li Yuan heard someone behind him shout loudly, "You little bastard!"
Li Yuan turned around. The man smiled and tossed him a flagon of wine. "This flagon of Third Watch Wine was bought with my own money. Don't you ever wail like a ghost and howl like a wolf in a tavern again. A grown man, aren't you ashamed?!"
Li Yuan hugged the flagon with a grin, bent at the waist, and said loudly, "Thank you, good sir. Please take care on your way."
The man was taken aback, then laughed and cursed a few times before striding away.
Li Yuan walked along, drinking as he went. His mood improved a bit.
That Huan Yun hadn't taken a ferry or traveled by wind. Instead, he slowly walked along the Ji River.
In Cloud City, he had once walked the Path of Heartfelt Inquiry with a young man.
The other party had said some seemingly lofty principles.
He said that some knowledge was like a water vein—flowing slowly, helping people go with the flow and walk steadily.
He also said that some knowledge was like a mountain root—through the vicissitudes of life, the original heart remains unmoved, standing firm.
Both were good knowledge. But the difficulty lay in the fact that the two often fought each other—bruised and battered, bleeding and broken, even killing themselves.
Huan Yun could take this to heart. During that tortuous mountain visit and treasure hunt, this old true man had suffered greatly from this very internal struggle.
Was Huan Yun a good person? Of course. Not only was he generally acknowledged as such, but he himself had always considered himself a good person.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken that trip to Cloud City to lend his support to Shen Zhenze, who had no hope of reaching the Nascent Soul stage, and finally agreed to act as a protector for Xu Xingjiu and Zhao Qingwan.
Could a good person make mistakes? Certainly. First, there was the precious treasure laid before him, and finally, the reputation he had accumulated over a lifetime. Huan Yun had already betrayed his conscience and original heart, ready to kill for the treasure and preserve his good name, committing a grave error.
Many times, it seemed that just one breath's difference could create a vast chasm between right and wrong, good and evil.
In the night, the sky was high and the moon bright.
Huan Yun took a deep breath, feeling his heart expand.
He wondered if that young sword immortal, so magnanimous, might also have some insurmountable mental barrier?
If so, wouldn't it be a natural moat?
Huan Yun could only hope that person could build bridges across waters, pave roads on mountains, free from wind and rain.
Near a secluded place close to the Water Dragon Sect.
An old Daoist reached out to support the young Daoist beside him.
The sword-carrying young Daoist swayed precariously, then smiled with joy and asked eagerly, "Master, how come today I don't feel like vomiting at all?"
The old Daoist said seriously, "It must be that your cultivation has improved. If we return to Crawling Ground Peak, your senior brothers will surely praise you quite a bit."
The young Daoist looked suspicious. "Master, be honest."
The old Daoist then said, "After all, your master has a wide circle of friends. Although we traveled quickly, we still had to stop and go. This time had the shortest distance."
The young Daoist complained, "Master, you're really bad with words. No wonder those mountain friends, whenever they see you visiting, are never willing to invite you up the mountain to sit for a while. I could clearly see—when they chatted with you, they were all polite, not like friends at all. Master, if you still act like this when you go down the mountain in the future, it really won't do."
Fire Dragon True Person nodded. "When it comes to making friends, your master isn't very skilled."
Zhang Shanfeng looked at his master but said nothing.
The old true person had to nod again. "When it comes to cultivation, it's also not very impressive."
Zhang Shanfeng grinned. "It's fine. Master's Dao art isn't high, and his disciple isn't much better."
Zhang Shanfeng shook his head and looked around, then smiled again. "Master, the Water Dragon Sect is such a large immortal clan—we don't have any friends there, do we?"
Only here, because it was their destination, had his master explicitly mentioned that his friend Chen Ping'an should be nearby recently. As for the other mountains, lakes, and immortal residences where the master and disciple had stopped, Zhang Shanfeng didn't recognize any of them anyway.
Fire Dragon True Person was taken aback, then smiled and nodded.
So, with his mind, he informed the Water Dragon Sect's sect master Sun Jie: there was no need to show himself; he could return to the Ancestral Hall.
Disregarding etiquette?
Wasn't this humble Daoist standing right here—wasn't that etiquette enough?
Chen Ping'an entered the house and began reading the confidential letter.
In the letter, Zhu Lian first mentioned that Wei Po had broken through, becoming the first Upper Fifth Realm mountain god in Bottle Gourd Continent's history.
The Great Li Dynasty's emperor, Song He, had personally come to Dragon Spring Commandery. The Ministers of Rites and Justice had both arrived from the Six Ministries, and together they climbed Piyun Mountain to congratulate Wei Po. Not only that, the Great Li court had also taken out a "water-affinity" demigod weapon from the imperial treasury and given it to Piyun Mountain as an auspicious item to add luster. This way, even as a righteous mountain god, Wei Po could more easily control the water fortune within his jurisdiction, even freely suppress the highest-ranking river righteous gods in the Great Li Northern March territory. It was evident that the new emperor, Song He, was not merely treating Wei Po, a former court official from the previous dynasty, with courtesy; he was actively delegating authority to Piyun Mountain. Wei Po, with his own strength, now shared the landscape authority of the entire Great Li Song clan's dragon-rising land with the Ministry of Rites and Ministry of Justice.
Therefore, Zhu Lian advised Chen Ping'an, as the mountain master, not to consider selling off property at a loss. Because when Wei Po broke through, the phenomenon was tremendous—auspicious signs appeared in abundance. It was said that the entire Great Li capital city was in an uproar. Many wealthy households with solid foundations rushed like a shoal of fish into the newly established Dragon Prefecture, wanting to go to Piyun Mountain to burn incense and pay respects to the great mountain god Wei. Not only that, the Great Li Ministry of Revenue had brought Piyun Mountain nearly a hundred Gold Essence Copper Coins as part of the court's gifts. The other ministries also showed their sincerity. Of course, all this was done with the young emperor's nod and approval, allowing them to openly send gifts to Piyun Mountain.
The young emperor himself seemed somewhat surprised. He had already estimated the various ripples caused by Wei Po's breakthrough to be quite significant, but he still underestimated the atmosphere of joy among both officials and commoners throughout the court and country. It was one of the rare nationwide celebrations since the founding of the Great Li Dynasty. The last time was when the Great Li vassal king Song Changjing achieved the merit of destroying a state, overthrowing the former suzerain Lu Dynasty that had been lording over Great Li. Only then did the Great Li capital witness such a bustling spectacle of empty streets. Going further back, it was practically centuries old history—when the Great Li Song clan completely shed its status as a vassal state of the Lu Dynasty and finally called itself a dynasty.
Zhu Lian said that Wei Po's third Divine Night Tour alone could conservatively fill half the Grain Rain Coin deficit.
Additionally.
Pearl Hairpin Island's Liu Chongrun had signed a landscape contract, choosing to settle at Turtleback, where water fortune was relatively abundant. The Ancestral Hall remained in Booklamp Lake, not relocated, to avoid being given the cold shoulder by the True Mirror Sect. However, over a dozen of the most talented core disciples would cultivate at Turtleback. Liu Chongrun had already begun hiring Mo craftsmen and mechanism masters to build residences on Turtleback. According to the agreement, unless the contract was renewed after three hundred years, these buildings, along with Turtleback Mountain itself, would automatically become the personal property of Mountain Master Chen Ping'an when they left the mountain.
However, Pearl Hairpin Island had only paid a deposit of thirty Grain Rain Coins for the three-hundred-year lease of Turtleback. Liu Chongrun insisted, regarding immortal currency, that her family enterprise was too small and they had no savings. Including relocation costs and greasing various connections, having to scrape together thirty Grain Rain Coins had already left her coffers nearly empty.
But then Zheng Dafeng's joking banter had led Liu Chongrun to reveal a secret closely related to her secular identity—a not insignificant unexpected gift.
This deposed eldest princess was willing to secretly help Luopo Mountain try to reclaim that Water Hall and a sunken Dragon Boat. These two items had never been found by the Zhu Ying Dynasty. If both were obtained, she, Liu Chongrun, could give away that priceless Dragon Boat ferry. If only one could be recovered, whether the Dragon Boat or the Water Hall, the profits would be split fifty-fifty between Turtleback and Luopo Mountain.
Zhu Lian hadn't agreed immediately, as this would involve the local Great Li iron cavalry and could easily lead to disputes. So in his letter, Zhu Lian asked Chen Ping'an whether this matter could be pursued.
As for the new prefect Wei Li hailing from the vassal state Yellow Court Kingdom, and the new prefectural City God coming from Mantou Mountain at the confluence of three rivers—these "surprises" in the Great Li landscape officialdom—Zhu Lian didn't omit any of them in his letter.
Regarding the two Water and Land Rituals and the Grand Heaven-Circling Ceremony in Booklamp Lake, Zhu Lian wrote in minute detail, including everything he could.
Even how the blind Daoist and his two disciples had settled in the Qilong Lane straw shop, and what the public opinion of them was, were all carefully written on the paper.
He also mentioned that Lu Baixiang had taken on two new disciples, a pair of siblings named Yuanbao and Yuanlai, both promising martial arts seedlings. When Chen Ping'an returned home, he could take some time to have them return to Luopo Mountain and record their names in the Ancestral Hall registry.
There was also some information about their studies at the Great Sui Mountain Cliff Academy.
The most crucial matter was on the last sheet, concerning the landscape spiritual energy of Lotus Flower Blessed Land. With two large installments of Grain Rain Coins injected into it, several key mountain roots and water veins had been greatly consolidated and nourished. Next, it would be necessary to truly begin dealing with the Southern Garden Kingdom's emperor. This secular emperor was already intending to abdicate and become a cultivator himself. With the new emperor's position unstable, naturally, he would have to concede more.
But the decision on the grand direction of this small blessed land, Zhu Lian hoped Chen Ping'an could personally give a definitive conclusion. That way, he and Zheng Dafeng and Wei Po could follow the rules and proceed step by step.
Besides matters related to their own mountain, Zhu Lian also mentioned many matters outside the mountain.
The Great Li Dynasty had promoted two iron cavalry generals who had fought their way into the Zhu Ying Dynasty, Cao Ping and Su Gaoshan, to the newly created position of "Patrol Envoys."
It was said that this was actually the "Supreme Pillar of State" position that the late emperor had specifically established for meritorious military generals. The Cao family was already a Supreme Pillar surname, but Su Gaoshan now had enough confidence to sit on equal footing with the Supreme Pillar magnate clans. Rumor had it that the Great Li Dynasty would eventually set up six "Patrol Envoy" chairs: one in the capital region, one at Old Dragon City, one in the former Zhu Ying Dynasty territory. Who would sit in the remaining three chairs and where they would be placed were still undecided, with not even any speculation.
Also, in many conquered territories, unrest was surging. People were rising in rebellion, and local cultivators were brazenly assassinating Great Li garrison officials.
Besides Cao Ping's and Su Gaoshan's iron cavalry continuing southward, the last iron cavalry unit had stopped advancing. Part of it remained on the territory of the former Zhu Ying Dynasty, while another part was dispatched northward to begin suppressing rebellions.
The letter contained numerous pieces of information, large and small, dozens in total.
After carefully reading Zhu Lian's letter twice, Chen Ping'an picked up Pei Qian's letter, which was only two sheets long.
It was all self-praise on her part.
She copied texts diligently and didn't run up tabs.
Her self-created Mad Demon Sword Technique was progressing by leaps and bounds, at its absolute peak.
She got along very well with Zhou Mili. Now the little water monster was the Right Protector of the Qilong Lane New Year Gift Shop. She asked if, after her master returned home, he could promote Zhou Mili to Right Protector of Luopo Mountain. There was some defensiveness in the letter—Pei Qian said she wouldn't casually promise Zhou Mili such a high official rank; she was strict about separating public and private matters. No matter how good her relationship with Zhou Mili, she would be impartial. So she still needed her master to decide after returning home.
She also said that Cen Yuanji practiced boxing very diligently. She was indeed a martial arts prodigy personally selected by the old cook to come to the mountain. Sigh, but there was one time when Sister Cen was too focused on practicing boxing and didn't notice the steps, accidentally twisting her ankle. She, Pei Qian, happened to be passing by but failed to catch Sister Cen. So up until writing this letter, she still felt somewhat guilty about it.
Therefore, if Sister Cen ever mentioned this matter in the future, her master must absolutely not blame her—it was entirely her, Pei Qian's, unintentional fault.
Seeing this, Chen Ping'an knew there was definitely more to it.
She must have done something to deserve eating chestnuts (knuckles to the head) and was laying the groundwork for it in the letter first.
Moreover, Pei Qian probably didn't realize that she had written so much about things she had witnessed on Luopo Mountain without even mentioning how much silver the Qilong Lane shop had earned. In Chen Ping'an's eyes, this definitely meant she had been skipping school frequently.
Chen Ping'an didn't overthink it. As long as Zhu Lian was keeping an eye on things, there shouldn't be anything too outrageous. If there were, he trusted Zhu Lian would have brought it up directly in the letter.
But when he got back, he'd still give her a full dose of knuckles to the head. Since she hadn't mentioned her schoolwork progress even once in her letter, could she be considered diligent in her studies? With her temperament, if she had received even a word or two of praise from the schoolteacher, wouldn't she show off?
Pei Qian also wrote that Sister Xiuxiu was no longer at Divine Show Mountain. She had heard she had moved elsewhere to cultivate. She was a bit worried about Sister Xiuxiu, sigh, because it had been a long time since she went to the straw shop to buy pastries.
Pei Qian said a beautiful older sister named Sui Jingcheng had come to the mountain. Not only was she beautiful, she was also extremely generous, spending money without even blinking. However, as the master's first disciple, she had enough poise never to let Sui Jingcheng buy her things on her own initiative. Not once.
At the end of the letter, Pei Qian wished her master a smooth journey, abundant wealth, happiness every day, safety, and an early return home.
Seeing this, Chen Ping'an found it hard to bring himself to knock her on the head with chestnuts.