Chapter 612: The Enemy Has Arrived, the Sword Immortal Is Here

Chapter 612: The Enemy Has Arrived, the Sword Immortal Is Here

This time when Guo Zhujiu returned home, she no longer roamed the streets and alleys alone, nor did she crouch like a wildcat on the walls of her neighbors' mansions along Yuhu Street. Because her master was by her side, she behaved with exceptional propriety.

A familiar boy leaned over the wall and asked with a grin, "Green Duan, why aren't you charging through the gates today? My sword skills have greatly improved these past two days—I'm sure to hold the fort and make you take a detour!"

Guo Zhujiu looked up, utterly bewildered. "Who are you?"

Seeing Guo Zhujiu give him a covert wink, the boy quickly disappeared.

It was also Chen Ping'an's first visit to the Guo residence on Yuhu Street. The sword immortal Guo Jia personally came out to greet him, but Chen Ping'an merely delivered Guo Zhujiu to the doorstep and declined Guo Jia's invitation to come inside for a chat. After all, the Hidden Official lineage's Luoshan sword immortal still had her eyes on him. The Ning residence didn't care about such things, but Sword Immortal Guo Jia and his family still had to mind appearances—at the very least they had to make a show of caring.

Guo Jia pulled Guo Zhujiu inside and casually asked, "What did you talk about with your little senior apprentice-sister over there?"

Guo Zhujiu replied, "Dad, even if you torture me, I won't say a single word. Who am I, Guo Zhujiu? I'm the daughter of the great sword immortal Guo Jia. What shouldn't be said, I absolutely won't say a word more than necessary."

Guo Jia lowered his head and looked at his daughter, who was brimming with smiles. He patted her little head. "No wonder they say daughters grow up and leave home. It breaks your father's heart."

Guo Zhujiu asked, "But my mother isn't like that. She married you, yet she still protects her maiden family at every turn. And you, Dad—every time you suffer grievances at Mom's hands, instead of confiding in your own master or drinking with your sword immortal friends, you go to your father-in-law's place to play the pitiful victim. Mom is already sick of you. You don't know this, but my grandfather once privately sought me out and asked me to persuade you to stop coming over. He said that as your father-in-law, he begs you, his son-in-law, to have mercy on him. Otherwise, the one who suffers the most in the end will be him, not you, his son-in-law."

Guo Jia had long grown accustomed to his daughter's kind of heart-stabbing remarks. Get used to it, and it'll be fine. So his father-in-law should be used to it too—they were family, after all, no need for ceremony.

The gloom that had been weighing on Guo Jia's heart lifted somewhat, like clouds parting to reveal a bright moon. Zuo You had come to see him once before; it was a good thing—he came to reason, not to draw his sword. He was much more fortunate than that great sword immortal Yue Qing. Of course, even without drawing his sword, Zuo You still wore his sword at his side. Deep down, Guo Jia was very grateful to this man, the highest sword master in the mortal world, who had visited with his sword. He also admired that young man from earlier. It seemed all of Wen Sheng's disciples were skilled at reasoning without words—and those reasons were meant for ears beyond Guo Jia and the Guo family.

Guo Jia had always hoped his daughter Green Duan could go see Daoxuan Mountain, like Ning Yao, to see more distant places. Returning late wouldn't matter.

But although his daughter had loved excitement since childhood, she had never once thought of sneaking off to Daoxuan Mountain. Guo Jia had his wife hint at it, but his daughter had reasoned in a way that left people speechless.

Guo Zhujiu said that when she was little, she had struggled to climb onto her own rooftop and saw the moon resting on the city wall of the Sword Qi Great Wall. She had wanted to touch it someday. But when she grew up and finally reached the city wall on her own, she realized it wasn't like that at all—the moon was far away, beyond reach. So she lost interest in going far. The city wall of the Sword Qi Great Wall was so tall; even when she jumped with all her might and stretched out her hand, she couldn't reach the moon. At Daoxuan Mountain, she'd only be even farther away. No fun.

Zuo You's latest visit was to formally have Guo Zhujiu become Chen Ping'an's disciple. If Guo Jia agreed, the implication was naturally that Guo Zhujiu would need to follow her fellow disciples to the Patriarch Hall of Fallen Mountain in Bottle Gourd Continent, pay respects to the patriarch, and then either stay at Fallen Mountain or travel elsewhere. If the little girl missed home, she could return to the Sword Qi Great Wall later.

Guo Jia thought it was acceptable.

Zuo You had made this request while wearing his sword. As a Jade Pure realm sword cultivator, Guo Jia dared not refuse. And no other sword immortal could find fault with it—if they could, they could take it up with Zuo You.

But Guo Zhujiu suddenly said, "Dad, on the way here, my master asked if I wanted to go to his homeland with little senior apprentice-sister and the others, to the Haoran Heaven. I risked death to defy my master's order and refused. Don't you think I'm bold? Am I not a hero?"

Guo Jia sighed inwardly and asked with a smile, "Why didn't you agree? The rules for taking disciples in the Haoran Heaven are much stricter than ours. It's not just a matter of the teacher nodding and a casual toast—you have to go to the Patriarch Hall, bow before the portrait, offer incense, and follow many tedious formalities. If you truly want to become Chen Ping'an's direct disciple, you have to adapt to local customs."

Guo Zhujiu shook her head. "When Master goes back to his homeland, I'll follow then. If I leave now, who will take care of Dad's flower garden?"

Guo Jia forced a stern expression and earnestly advised, "Next time you swat flies and mosquitoes, hold back your sword skills a little. Don't chop up the flowers and plants along with them."

Guo Zhujiu said regretfully, "It's a pity senior apprentice-sister refused to give me her mountain-traveling staff. If she had, not to mention Dad's flower garden—if even a single fly or mosquito got into the entire Guo residence, you could hold me accountable and chop off my dog head."

After parting with his daughter, Guo Jia went to look at the flower garden. Since his daughter had taken a master, she spent every day running to the Ning residence, so she hadn't tended the garden as carefully. As a result, the flowers and plants were especially lush. Standing alone in a pavilion surrounded by blooming flowers, Guo Jia looked at the perfectly round and orderly garden scenery but couldn't feel happy. If both flowers and moons were full, and everything was perfectly rounded, how could people live long lives?

So Guo Jia would rather have a broken garden but a reunited family.

---

At the Ning residence, Ning Yao was still in seclusion.

Pei Qian was consulting Granny Bai about boxing techniques.

Zhong Qiu was walking the stakes, using the abundant sword intent in the sky to temper his fist intent.

Cao Qinglang was cultivating.

Cui Dongshan was drinking with Old Brother Nalan.

After leaving Guo Jia and Yuhu Street, Chen Ping'an went to the increasingly large wine shop. Following the old rule, the shopkeeper didn't compete with customers for space; he just squatted by the roadside drinking. Unfortunately, Fan Dache was unscrupulous—he had drunk up all the surplus wine money from that Little Summer Coin in one go, so Chen Ping'an had to settle the bill himself with the young Jiang Qu. Jiang Qu bravely said that he had recently drawn his salary in advance from Sister Diezhang and could treat Mr. Chen to a pot of Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven wine. Chen Ping'an declined, saying it wasn't that he didn't want to, but that he didn't dare, lest he mar his excellent reputation on the Sword Qi Great Wall even a little. As a scholar, how could he not cherish his feathers?

Jiang Qu continued attending to the customers, thinking to himself that Mr. Chen, a scholar who didn't cherish his feathers like this, wasn't exactly proper either.

After leisurely drinking his wine and cadging two bowls from a fellow Daoist beside him, Chen Ping'an got up and went to the two new walls, looking over all the Wushi Plaques' names and contents.

Then he picked up his little stool and went to a street corner, vigorously waving the verdant bamboo branch like a storyteller under the market bridge, hawking his tales.

Feng Kangle was the first to run over, not bothering to pick up his increasingly heavy pottery jar. The boy whispered in the second shopkeeper's ear, roughly explaining his difficulties and telling the second shopkeeper to be tactful and not say the wrong thing. Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded. As payment, he had Feng Kangle go door to door to recruit listeners. Having received the promise that the second shopkeeper wouldn't expose him, Feng Kangle heavily patted the second shopkeeper's shoulder, gave a thumbs-up, and said, "Good brother, loyal and righteous."

Chen Ping'an glanced at Feng Kangle, and the boy immediately gave the second shopkeeper a light pat on the shoulder. Then Feng Kangle ran off, shouting at the top of his lungs that the story of the scholar beating the drum to appeal for justice at the City God Pavilion was finally about to begin.

The storyteller waited until a crowd had gathered around him, then helped himself to a handful of melon seeds from a little girl beside him before starting the tale—a story of a mountain god bullying men and women, forcibly marrying a beautiful maiden, and a scholar who, after many hardships, finally achieved a happy reunion.

But when he got to the part where the mountain god was arrogant and powerful, and the City God, after hearing the scholar's grievance, actually wanted to shrink back, the children grew unhappy and began to clamor in rebellion.

What had he been doing all this time? Just the names and titles of the day and night patrol gods, the civil and military judges, the Iron Chain General inside the City God Pavilion—what merits they had in life, why they became city gods after death, what was written on the horizontal plaques and couplets, how majestic the City God's official robe was—the second shopkeeper had gone on and on about all these irrelevant details, only to end with this? He had described the City God as commanding a cloud of ghostly subordinates with strong soldiers, yet now he was unwilling to seek justice for the poor scholar?

Chen Ping'an found he had finished his melon seeds and turned to ask the little girl for more. To his surprise, the girl turned away—for the first time—and refused to give him any.

Feng Kangle, no longer caring whether the second shopkeeper would expose his lie about not daring to knock on the door and see anyone, punched Chen Ping'an and fumed, "No, no, no! Either you tell us the ending directly, or you start a more satisfying new story! If not, I'll never come again. You can sit here and drink the northwest wind by yourself!"

The other children nodded in agreement.

Indeed, the sword immortals who drank there had good taste—the second shopkeeper's heart was truly black.

Such a frustrating and disheartening tale of mountains and rivers was not worth listening to.

The second shopkeeper raised his bamboo branch with one hand and brought the two fingers of his other hand together, flicking them like a sword flower. He shook them a few times and asked, "Last time I mentioned the City God Temple, does anyone remember the half of the couplet on the main gate?"

A boy said, "It was: 'Seek a conscience to govern myself, be a virtuous person, day and night vast and bright, walk upright and rest easy; at night a bed, soul calm and dreams steady.'"

Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded.

The boy asked, "Earlier, you wouldn't tell us the other half, saying it was a heavenly secret not to be revealed. You shouldn't be keeping us in suspense now, should you?"

Chen Ping'an said, "Let me keep the suspense a little longer. Don't rush. Allow me to continue the far-from-finished story. In the City God Temple, all was silent. The City God tugged at his beard but dared not speak. The civil and military judges, the day and night patrol gods, all were speechless. Just then, dark clouds suddenly covered the moon. On earth, there was no money to light lamps; in the sky, the moon no longer shone bright. The scholar looked around, utterly despairing. He felt the world was collapsing—he was doomed to be unable to save the woman he loved. Living was worse than death. He might as well dash his head against a wall and never again look upon the dirty affairs of the human world."

Feng Kangle and the other children were sick with worry.

What was going on over there in the Haoran Heaven?

Now there were so many listeners, more and more. And you, second shopkeeper, were only making Feng Kangle lose face. How could he ever hang out in the martial world again? You yourself said that the martial world was divided into big and small—one had to first walk the small martial world close to home, build up skills, before one could walk the bigger one.

Chen Ping'an slapped his knee. "At that critical moment, just as the scholar was on the brink of death, lo and behold, outside the City God Temple shrouded in heavy night, a single point of light suddenly appeared—extremely tiny, extremely tiny. The City God abruptly raised his head, laughed heartily, and said loudly, 'My friend has come! This matter is not difficult!' With a delighted smile, the City God skirted around the judgment table, strode down the steps, and went to welcome the visitor. As he brushed past the scholar, he whispered something. The scholar, half believing and half doubting, followed the City God out of the main hall of the City God Pavilion. Honored audience, do you know who the visitor was? Could it have been the villainous mountain god himself, coming to confront the scholar? Or was it someone else entirely, and the story took an unexpected turn? To know what happens next, listen to..."

The little girl suddenly thrust a handful of melon seeds at the storyteller. "Don't say 'next time'! Tell it today, tell it now! I have melon seeds, lots more!"

The boy who had recited half the City God Temple's couplet said angrily, "Don't beg him. He can tell it or not. After I hear the end of this story, I'm never coming back anyway."

The storyteller took the melon seeds from the little girl, then vigorously wiped the bamboo branch. "Look closely. In the blink of an eye, that tiny point of light grew larger and larger. Not only that, soon more lights appeared—one by one, grain by grain, they gathered together, clustering like a new bright moon. The rays of light cut through the night sky, parting the clouds and mists wherever they passed, like an immortal's path, higher than the Five Sacred Mountains. And on the earth below, great dragon-snake cultivators in the wild and common folk in the markets alike were startled from their dreams. They opened their doors and windows, looked up, and—what a sight!"

At this point, the storyteller hurriedly started cracking melon seeds. "Don't rush, don't rush. Let me have a few seeds first."

After finishing the seeds, Chen Ping'an continued. "The closer they got to the City God Temple, the louder the thunder became, as if a divine being was pounding a drum relentlessly above their heads. The scholar feared that the City God and the mountain god were in cahoots, but a glimmer of hope rose in his heart—hope that in this vast world, there was finally someone willing to help him seek justice. Even if in the end justice wasn't served, he would still be content. The human world was not entirely without a path; others' hearts could indeed comfort his heart."

Around the little stool, everyone held their breath, straining to listen.

"The scholar couldn't help raising a hand to shield his eyes, for the light was becoming too dazzling. As a mere mortal, he simply couldn't look at it any longer. Not only the scholar, but even the City God and his assistant officials couldn't look directly at that immense brightness between heaven and earth. How bright was it? Let me tell you—it illuminated everything within a hundred li, including the City God Temple, as bright as if the sun were hanging in the sky at midday! How could a minor mountain god's procession have such a grand spectacle?!"

Feng Kangle asked tentatively, "Was it a passing sword immortal?"

The little girl sitting on a stool to Feng Kangle's left nodded vigorously: "Of course! Mr. Chen said those sword immortals have clear hearts, and their swords shine with brightness."

Chen Ping'an said, "Exactly! It was a sword immortal traveling down the mountains and rivers! But it didn't end there. The leader was a young sword immortal in white, who descended first on his flying sword at the City God Temple. He sheathed his sword and alighted gracefully. Coincidentally, his surname was Feng and his given name Kangle, and he was a newly famous sword immortal under heaven. He loved to roam the martial world performing chivalrous deeds, with a small pottery jar tied to his waist that clanked as he walked—nobody knew what was inside. And then even more coincidentally, beside this sword immortal was a beautiful female sword immortal named Shu Xin. Every time she descended the mountain on her sword, she liked to fill her sleeves with melon seeds. It turned out that whenever she encountered an injustice below, she would only eat melon seeds after righting the wrong. If someone wept tears of gratitude, she wouldn't ask for money—just a handful of melon seeds would do."

Feng Kangle stood dumbfounded. He snapped out of it, quickly straightened his back, and nearly burst into tears. "This story is absolutely wonderful!"

The little girl named Shu Xin felt a bit embarrassed, her face turning red, and also a little guilty—she had brought too few melon seeds today.

The storyteller continued, "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—one after another, sword immortals landed, each with a dashing demeanor. Some men had faces like jade, others had imposing auras. Some women were as beautiful as flowers, others were spirited and heroic. The City God, who had some inkling but not enough, was quite frightened. The other assistant officials and ghostly officers were even more shaken, bowing and paying respects, not daring to raise their heads to look. They were astounded—why... why could they see so many sword immortals at once? Among these famous sword immortals, besides Feng Kangle and Shu Xin, there were also Zhou Shuiting, Zhao Yusan, Ma Xiang'er..."

He listed a whole string of names. During this time, he glanced at a child whose name he didn't know. The child shouted anxiously, "My name is Shitan."

The storyteller added a sword immortal named Shitan.

And the boy Zhao Yusan, who heard his own name, grinned but quickly composed himself.

If the storyteller's next story still included the sword immortal Zhao Yusan, he would listen. If not, he wouldn't.

But how could he know whether there was a sword immortal with the same name without first listening to the next story?

In the end, the story remained twisty. The children still picked and chose, listening to what they liked and wanted to hear.

Regardless, around the stool and in the distance, not a single person left. They all listened to the complete story of the scholar who finally found love and happiness. All the sword immortals came to congratulate him. After countless hardships, the scholar and his beloved finally got married and lived happily ever after. The story ended.

Not only that, but for once, the children and young people who usually dispersed as soon as the story ended, didn't leave immediately. This was quite rare.

But this time, the storyteller didn't say anything beyond the story. He just looked at them and smiled. "A story is a story. Stories in books aren't just stories on paper. You yourselves have your own stories. The further you go, the truer this becomes. I won't be coming here as a storyteller anymore. I hope that someday, if there's a chance, you'll become storytellers, and I'll come listen to you."

Chen Ping'an picked up his little stool and stood up.

A child asked timidly, "Mr. Chen, are you going back to your hometown?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head with a smile. "No, I'll stay here. But I'm not just a storyteller who tells tales to deceive people, nor just a shopkeeper who sells wine for a living. I have many of my own things to do."

Chen Ping'an walked away. After going a certain distance, he suddenly turned around with a laugh. "Want to know what happens next?"

Many children who had started to move burst into laughter. Only a scattered few responses came, but their voices were not small: "Listen to the next chapter!"

Chen Ping'an smiled and muttered to himself, "The rest... let's save it for later."

---

Pei Qian practiced boxing diligently, just like in the bamboo building on Fallen Mountain back then. She was always afraid that one day her master would suddenly drive her away. Fallen Mountain was very good, but without her master there, it wasn't good enough.

Today, Granny Bai seemed reluctant to put much effort into teaching boxing—probably because she hadn't eaten enough.

But Pei Qian didn't mind, because she felt she was about to break through the bottleneck of the Fourth Realm! This made Pei Qian overjoyed, grinning from ear to ear, and she chatted a lot with Granny Bai.

Because Pei Qian felt she could now legitimately stay a few more days on the Sword Qi Great Wall. But before she could even report the good news to her master, her master came down from the Dragon-Slaying Platform pavilion with Cui Dongshan, walked to the training ground, and said they could set off for home. Right now.

Pei Qian looked at the big white goose. The goose shook its head helplessly—there was nothing to be done. Master had made up his mind, and Little Senior Brother couldn't dissuade him.

Pei Qian didn't throw a tantrum—she didn't dare and didn't want to. She just silently followed her master to her residence, packed her belongings, shouldered her little book case, and took her mountain-traveling staff.

Why was the sun so bright in the middle of winter? If only it would rain heavily, then they could leave the Ning residence later, or at least hide from the rain for a while at the main gate.

Cao Qinglang also carried his mountain-traveling staff, with a cloth bundle slung diagonally, and appeared at the door of the residence with old Master Zhong Qiu.

Chen Ping'an led them out of the Ning residence, walking all the way to the gate guarded by the elderly female Daoist of the Sword Master Room and the old sword immortal.

But Cui Dongshan had gone elsewhere halfway, saying he would meet them at the Guanque Inn on Daoxuan Mountain.

Chen Ping'an stopped. "I won't see you off any further. Take care on the road."

Pei Qian kept her head down.

Cao Qinglang presented his master with a seal. Chen Ping'an accepted it with a smile.

Pei Qian looked up and said softly, "Master, I left some things on the table at Master's wife's place. Remember to tell her when she comes out of seclusion."

Chen Ping'an nodded. "I won't forget. When you get back to Fallen Mountain and tell Nuan Shu and Mi Li about the Sword Qi Great Wall, don't just brag to show off. Don't talk nonsense to them. Say what there is to say."

Pei Qian's eyes reddened. "I'll do as Master says."

Strangely, it used to be her staying behind, seeing her master off on his travels. Only this time, it was her master staying behind to see her off.

It felt even more heartbreaking.

Then should she still leave Fallen Mountain alone in the future to roam the martial world? Leaving her master alone at Fallen Mountain—that would be so pitiful.

Chen Ping'an looked back. A little girl came running at full speed.

Pei Qian felt a little happier. She thought, if this little junior sister dared not come to see her, she would be in for a big loss.

Guo Zhujiu suddenly stopped, then hopped and floated over to Pei Qian, beaming. "Little Senior Apprentice-Sister, you're leaving with Master? Cry, come on, cry! After you cry, rest assured—I'll be by Master's side to take care of him!"

Pei Qian couldn't cry even if she wanted to. She took off her small book case, which was actually empty, and handed it to Guo Zhujiu. "Let's make it clear: Senior Apprentice-Sister is lending it to you, not giving it to you. Next time we meet, you can't return a battered little bamboo case to me. Not even a single scratch allowed. If you don't agree, I won't even lend it to you."

Guo Zhujiu snatched the little bamboo case and immediately put it on her back, nodding vigorously. "Senior Apprentice-Sister, just set your heart at ease. This little book case looks even better on me. If it could talk, it would be grinning from ear to ear right now. It would be so happy it couldn't say a word."

Pei Qian reached out. "Give it back."

Guo Zhujiu ignored her and instead asked, "Senior Apprentice-Sister, can you lend me your mountain-traveling staff too? A little book case plus a mountain-traveling staff—perfect match! I'd definitely carry the little book case every day and hold the staff, tapping it against the blue stone slabs and yellow mud paths of every street and alley until I've covered them all."

Pei Qian's face contorted with grievance. Lending the little bamboo case and then asking for more—how could a junior apprentice-sister be like this? She immediately turned to look at her master.

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Next time you see Guo Zhujiu, after she returns your little book case, you can lend her the staff then."

Pei Qian raised an eyebrow at Guo Zhujiu.

Guo Zhujiu nodded. "That works too."

Then Guo Zhujiu pulled Pei Qian aside, and the two little girls whispered to each other. Guo Zhujiu gave Pei Qian a small wooden box, saying it was a gift from the junior apprentice-sister to the senior apprentice-sister as a token of respect for joining the sect. Pei Qian didn't dare accept things casually, so she turned to look at her master. Master smiled and nodded.

Chen Ping'an said to Zhong Qiu, "Master Zhong, once you return to the Haoran Heaven, there's no need to rush back to Bottle Gourd Continent. You can take them on a journey through Southern Sandalwood Continent. I have a friend named Liu Xianyang, who is currently studying at the Chunru Chen Clan. But Cui Dongshan probably won't travel with you—he has many things to do back home. So when you reach Daoxuan Mountain, borrow more spirit money from him. A study tour is wonderful, but just looking at mountains and rivers won't do."

Zhong Qiu smiled. "I've already borrowed money from him once. Borrowing again is no big deal."

Chen Ping'an said, "During this trip to the Sword Qi Great Wall, I didn't give much thought to Master Zhong's martial arts cultivation. My apologies."

Zhong Qiu shook his head. "Don't say such polite nonsense that verges on absurdity in front of me again."

Chen Ping'an didn't say any more polite words.

Finally, Zhong Qiu said, "Even the best principles can be wrong at times. It's not that the principle itself is flawed, but that people have too many difficulties and unexpected situations. The same rice feeds a hundred kinds of people, but in the end, how many actually like that bowl of rice? How many truly think about what that bowl of rice really tastes like?"

Chen Ping'an nodded. "I'll think it over."

Zhong Qiu seemed to want to say more words of comfort and reassurance, but looking at this young man in blue, he felt it wasn't necessary, so he stopped.

Pei Qian softly called, "Master," and couldn't find any more words.

Guo Zhujiu, with the little book case on her back, began counting on her fingers, probably mentally timing how long it would take senior apprentice-sister to start crying.

Pei Qian caught the movement in her peripheral vision and forgot her sadness. This little girl was really annoying.

Cao Qinglang bowed to his master in farewell.

Chen Ping'an gently waved his hand, then tucked both hands into his sleeves.

After seeing them off, Chen Ping'an took Guo Zhujiu to the city gate, then drove a talisman boat to the city wall.

On the city wall, Zuo You asked, "All gone?"

Chen Ping'an nodded.

Zuo You frowned. "Speak your mind."

Chen Ping'an felt a bit nostalgic for when Pei Qian and Cao Qinglang were around. Then senior apprentice-brother would be more polite to him.

Chen Ping'an said softly, "If I wanted senior apprentice-brother to agree to leave the Sword Qi Great Wall for Master's sake, then I shouldn't have refused the old sword immortal. I should have agreed to light the life-bound lamp at the Patriarch Hall of Fallen Mountain. That way, at least senior apprentice-brother wouldn't have one more concern keeping me here."

Zuo You said, "Half the story? Who taught you that? Our Master?! The old sword immortal told me everything. The speed of my sword drawing—you're not even a sword cultivator, you couldn't figure it out if you racked your brains. Who gave you the nerve to think about all this nonsense? How did you say that line to Yu Juanfu? Are your principles only meant to be spoken to others? Principles obtained with a thousand difficulties—are they like shop wine, seals, or folding fans, that you can just not keep for yourself and sell for money? Such shitty principles, I think it's better not to learn at all."

Chen Ping'an was momentarily speechless.

Senior apprentice-brother usually spoke little to him. Today he said so much—it seemed he was truly angered.

No matter.

Chen Ping'an had a countermeasure ready. "Even if Master is busy, now that Pei Qian and Cao Qinglang are at Fallen Mountain, he will certainly visit often. How senior apprentice-brother teaches swordsmanship—I believe your senior apprentice-brothers' nephews and nieces will report it in detail to our Master. When Master hears it, he will be pleased."

This time it was Zuo You's turn to be speechless.

Chen Ping'an changed the subject. "On the Lost Wild Continent side, are there also many who haven't forgotten the people of the Sword Qi Great Wall?"

Zuo You nodded. "Naturally. But it still won't make much difference."

Chen Ping'an asked again, "The two sages from the Confucian and Buddhist schools stationed at the two ends of the city wall, plus the Taoist sage sitting in the sky—are they all there to maintain the Sword Qi Great Wall from being contaminated and transformed by the Lost Wild Continent's fortune?"

Zuo You said, "For the three teaching sages, this is not an easy task. That Confucian sage who was originally a Buddha prince once lost a debate with our Master and went to the Yasheng lineage. His learning is profound, so don't think the Yasheng lineage is unworthy. As scholars, the worst thing is to whine and complain like one's own interests are damaged. And don't assume that just because the Li Sheng lineage has a gentleman like Wang Zai, all Confucian students of the Li Sheng lineage are gentlemen and worthies."

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "I won't be so blind as to miss the mountains for one leaf."

The gentleman Zhong Kui of Parasol Leaf Continent was from the Yasheng lineage.

Zuo You asked, "What did Cui Dongshan say before he left?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "Just trivial matters."

Zuo You was silent for a long time, then slowly said, "Back then, besides our Master, no one had seen young Cui Chan. The first time we saw him, he was already a young man about your age."

Chen Ping'an suddenly said, "I still believe that this world will get better and better."

Zuo You smiled. "It should be so."

Chen Ping'an turned his head. "Senior apprentice-brother, if you could smile more often, you'd actually be more handsome than Wei Jin of the Wind and Snow Temple."

Zuo You asked back, "Even without smiling, am I not handsome?"

Chen Ping'an smiled. "I think so, but I don't know what Wei Jin thinks."

Zuo You hummed. "I'll ask him when I see him."

Chen Ping'an added, "And you'll have to see if Wei Jin answers sincerely."

Zuo You nodded. "Reasonable."

The two senior and junior apprentice-brothers stood together, gazing into the distance.

Familiar people all went off to distant places.

Just like today, Chen Ping'an was doing the same.

Just like not long ago, Qi Jinglong had taken Bai Shou and some young sword cultivators from the Taihui Sword Sect and left the Sword Qi Great Wall together.

Everyone below the mountain was like this; immortals above the mountain were no exception.

---

Another year had quietly passed on the Sword Qi Great Wall, and another spring brought warmth and blossoms.

This time, Ning Yao's seclusion was so long that she seemed to forget cold and heat—but this was actually the most common way of cultivation.

Fan Dache still hadn't broken through, but his Dragon Gate realm foundation was getting stronger, and he had thoroughly mixed with the Ning and Yan families.

Yan Zhuo, now receiving the full teaching of the family's chief consecrator, had made considerable progress in swordsmanship.

Chen Sanqiu was still the same dissolute young master who, after drinking, always felt the walls needed to support him.

Dong Huafu still bought things wherever he went without spending any money.

Diezhang's wine shop business was still booming, with more and more Wushi Plaques hanging on the walls.

It was said that Qi Shou had gone into seclusion, and the chances of him becoming an Nascent Soul sword cultivator upon emerging were very high.

Pang Yuanji often went to Diezhang's wine shop to buy wine, because the shop had launched a new, extremely strong liquor called "Blade-Burning Wine." But it was a bit expensive—three Snowflake Coins per jug—so the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven wine that cost one Snowflake Coin didn't see a drop in sales; instead, it sold even more. However, Pang Yuanji wasn't short of money, and his sword immortal friend Gao Kui also liked this drink, so Pang Yuanji felt he was single-handedly supporting half the Blade-Burning Wine business. Unfortunately, the big shopkeeper Miss Diezhang had inherited the second shopkeeper's true teachings and was becoming increasingly stingy. No matter how much wine you bought at once, she wouldn't discount a single Snowflake Coin, and would instead complain that Pang Yuanji was buying so much that other sword immortals couldn't get any. She felt that by selling him wine, Pang Yuanji owed her a favor.

Pang Yuanji was incredibly troubled. He could handle any kind of wine, but now Gao Kui was an alcoholic who had run out of money. Gao Kui was currently nurturing his life-bound flying sword at a critical juncture, and in an instant, he went from a rich man with a well-lined purse to a pauper who couldn't even open his pot. This was the most common thing on the Sword Qi Great Wall—when you had money, you really had a lot of idle cash; when you had none, you wouldn't have a single copper coin left, and you'd have to scrape together loans and credit from others.

What Pang Yuanji was most interested in now was when the "stinky tofu" would go on sale.

The hired helpers at the shop were no longer the two boys from Lingxi Alley and Suoli Alley. Instead, three new people had been hired: a boy, a girl, and a dark-skinned little child, all neighbors of Big Shopkeeper Diezhang. But the most agile one was actually the youngest. The drunkards and gamblers liked to tease this little one, because although the child was young, he had a fiery temper. Whether you were a sword immortal or not, if you dared to buy on credit, no deal; if you dared to take extra pickled vegetables or ask for extra noodles, you'd get the cold shoulder from him. He would still bring the pickles to the table or to the roadside, but he never wore a good expression.

From last winter to this spring, the second shopkeeper had stayed out of sight, hardly appearing. Only Guo Zhujiu, who visited frequently, could occasionally see her master. When she did, she would ask why senior apprentice-sister hadn't come back yet. The little bamboo case she carried had developed a bond with her, and next time she saw senior apprentice-sister, the book case would definitely speak up, saying it had taken a liking to the new owner and didn't want to go home.

At the Ning residence, Nalan Yexing was a bit uneasy. He took the initiative to ask the old wife Bai Lianshuang, "Is the young master practicing swordsmanship like this too hastily? Is it really okay?" Even he, Nalan Yexing, couldn't bear to draw his sword anymore.

Granny Bai was also anxious, but the young lady was in seclusion. Who could she talk to? So she told Nalan Yexing to go to the city wall and find the young master's senior apprentice-brother.

Nalan Yexing thought it was a good idea. He went over, but that senior apprentice-brother of the young master was even harsher. He said, "If you, Senior Nalan, feel that training sword with little junior brother is delaying your return to the Immortal realm, then let little junior brother come practice sword on the city wall."

Nalan Yexing left the city wall with a dark face. Granny Bai was waiting at the door. When she heard that Zuo You had said such infuriating things, she almost couldn't help rushing to the city wall. It took Nalan Yexing half a day of persuading to stop her.

After persuading her, Nalan Yexing secretly chuckled to himself. Being called "Senior Nalan" by Zuo You felt good. Time to drink. Tomorrow, if the young master came to practice sword with him again, don't blame Grandpa Nalan for being ruthless. After drinking too much, he might lose control of his flying sword's strength.

After a few spring rains of varying sizes, the heat began to rise between heaven and earth.

On this day, Chen Ping'an sat alone in the pavilion, hands tucked in his sleeves, leaning against the pillar, dozing off in the cool air.

On top of the city wall, Zuo You opened his eyes and stood up. He reached out and pressed his sword hilt, squinting into the distance.

South of the city wall, ten thousand li of yellow sand blotted out the sky and sun, surging forward.

The rolling sand and gravel rose higher than the Sword Qi Great Wall, like tidal waves crashing against the shore, rushing straight toward the wall.

The monk sitting on a cushion at the left end of the Sword Qi Great Wall and the Confucian sage in scholar's robes at the right end each simultaneously extended a hand and gently pressed down on the white mist.

A Taoist sage holding a white whisk sat cross-legged at an extreme height. As the old Daoist looked into the distance, the clouds beneath his feet parted layer by layer.

A little girl with a childlike appearance and two horn-like buns, who had been yawning and lying on the city wall staring blankly at a sealed wine jug, now joyfully tumbled a few times, jumped up, her eyes sparkling. In her childish voice, she shouted, "Anyone below Jade Pure realm, leave the city wall! Those in the north with sufficient cultivation, come and make up the numbers!"

Chen Qingdu slowly walked out of his thatched hut, hands behind his back. He came to Zuo You's side, lightly leaped onto the wall top, and asked with a smile, "Saving your sword energy for dinner?"

Zuo You remained silent. His sword did not leave its sheath, but he stopped painfully restraining his sword energy and let it surge forward.

Beyond the Sword Qi Great Wall, the yellow sand crashed against an invisible wall and instantly turned to powder, unable to approach the city wall even an inch.

Not only that, the invisible wall of sword energy kept pressing southward, pushing the rolling yellow sand back dozens of li.

In the end, the sky and earth cleared, the view widened, and nothing was hidden.

From the northern city, streaks of brilliant sword light shot up, one after another, and all landed on the southern city wall.

Atop the Sword Qi Great Wall, the sword immortals gathered like clouds.

Chen Qingdu, Zuo You.

Dong San'geng, the Hidden Official, Chen Xi, Qi Tingji, Nalan Shaowei, the Old Deaf Man, Lu Zhi.

Yue Qing, Ning Lianyun, Wu Chengpei, Zhou Cheng, Mi Hu, Mi Yu, Sun Juyuan, Gao Kui, Tao Wen, the Yan family's consecrator—an immortal sword cultivator Li Tui Mi...

Han Huaizi from North Juzhou Continent, Wei Jin from Bottle Gourd Continent, Yuan Qingshu from Southern Sandalwood Continent, Li Cai of the Floating Sword Lake, Ku Xia from Shaoyuan Dynasty...

Chen Qingdu looked into the distance and said with a chuckle, "Now that we have that old immortal backing us, they've grown a lot bolder. Quite a few new faces, eh. And they've come in considerable numbers. Pretty much everyone with a seat in the rat hole is here."