Chapter 620: Everyone Is a Scholar

Chapter 620: Everyone Is a Scholar

After Ning Yao took her seat, Liu E quickly brought over a pot of the best Green Mountain divine wine. The girl set down the pot and a wine bowl, then left, not forgetting to add another bowl for that young man with the bad temper. The girl didn't dare linger; as for whether the wine cost money or whether they lost money on the deal, not only Liu E but even Tao Ban, who was always most concerned about the shop's business, didn't dare say a word. The boy, the girl, and Tao Ban all hid inside the shop. Earlier, the second shopkeeper and that outsider had been speaking in a foreign dialect that no one could understand, but everyone could tell that the second shopkeeper was acting strangely today.

Then, when Ning Yao sat down, the three of them could no longer hear what was being said over there.

Ning Yao poured herself a bowl of wine and said bluntly, "The Old Sword Immortal did say that no one is unkillable, but he never said that anyone absolutely has to die. Even I don't believe I have to die here to be worthy of the Ning Clan and the Sword Qi Great Wall. So it definitely shouldn't be up to you, Chen Pingan. Chen Pingan, I like you. I don't like you for some future 'great sword immortal Chen Pingan.' If you can become a sword cultivator, that's best; if you can't, it doesn't matter at all. Then just be a pure martial artist. And with that spirit of yours, if you want to be a scholar, then be a scholar."

Chen Pingan nodded. "I understand."

But Liu Xianyang shook his head, lowering his voice as if talking to himself. "He doesn't understand at all."

Ning Yao frowned and turned to look in the direction of the Sword Qi Great Wall. "However, the Old Sword Immortal previously forbade me from saying too much. He said he would keep an eye on you and wanted you to think more deeply. Otherwise, this journey would be wasted. To seek life amidst death and to survive on your own—that is the best way to temper your Dao heart and nurture a sword embryo. If others give it to you, help you, or even just give you a hand or point the way once or twice, it loses some meaning."

Liu Xianyang shook his head again. "Not straightforward. Not straightforward at all. I knew it would be like this. One after another, they seem to have no demands, but actually it's precisely these people around him who like to make excessive demands on my little Ping'an."

Ning Yao ignored Liu Xianyang and continued, "You shouldn't feel burdened just because you've received this treatment, thinking you're a special case. Over the past ten thousand years, the Old Sword Immortal has looked after quite a few young sword cultivators. Some he spoke with, but most he said nothing to at all, and the sword cultivators were never aware of it. Actually, I didn't think it meant much at first, and I didn't agree with the Old Sword Immortal. But he persuaded me, saying he wanted to see your heart again and decide whether you were worth returning that locust-wood sword case to."

Chen Pingan smiled. "I thought the Old Sword Immortal had forgotten about that, just like the marriage proposal."

Liu Xianyang stretched out a finger and gently spun the white bowl on the table, muttering, "Anyway, with swordsmanship that high, if he's going to give things to the younger generation, he might as well give more. At least it should match his status and swordsmanship."

Under the table, Chen Pingan stomped hard on Liu Xianyang's instep.

Liu Xianyang raised his hand with two fingers pressed together, as if forming a sword seal, and held it upright in front of him. "Doesn't hurt, doesn't hurt. Turtle hides in its shell!"

Ning Yao didn't really like talking about these things. Many thoughts would swirl in her mind and then pass, like washing and refining a sword. What wasn't needed, didn't exist; what was needed naturally connected to the next thought, eventually becoming something that needed to be done. And in the end, it would manifest in swordsmanship, sword intent, and the sword Dao. That was all. There was rarely a need to put it into words.

But today was an exception.

Ning Yao thought for a moment and said, "The Old Sword Immortal doesn't have many thoughts these days. How could he forget such things? He once told me himself that he isn't afraid of anything except being in debt."

Ning Yao added, "If he doesn't think much, what he does think about can be greater. That's the mindset a sword cultivator should have. A sword cultivator's strike should be a straight path, with a bright sword light. But I've also worried that I've always thought too little, while you think too much—yet you rarely make mistakes. I was worried that what I said wouldn't suit you, so I held back and never talked about it. Today, Liu Xianyang made things clear to you: fair words, private words, words from the conscience—he spoke them all. Only then did I feel I could talk to you about this. As for the Old Sword Immortal's instructions, I'm not going to worry about them anymore."

Ning Yao finally said, "I only have this one thought: whether the Sword Qi Great Wall can be defended or not, we both have to live. Neither of us can die! Whether we strike with a sword or throw a punch in the future, it will only happen more, because neither of us is the kind of person who forgets easily. You don't need to prove anything to anyone about this—not even to the Old Sword Immortal or Zuo You. I know, and that's enough. So why should you feel guilty? If anyone dares to bring this up in the future, you like to reason with them, but I never have. If I hear it, it's a sword duel with me."

Chen Pingan beamed. "This time, I truly understand!"

Liu Xianyang slammed his hand on the table. "Sister-in-law, that was spoken clearly! Truly worthy of the Ning Yao who said, 'The Dao walks itself, the sword light is bright.' The Ning Yao I knew at first glance would be my brother's wife!"

"Liu Xianyang, this bowl is for you! It came a bit late, but it's better than never."

Ning Yao drained her bowl of wine in one gulp, put away the wine pot and bowl into her proximate-space item, and stood up. She said to Chen Pingan, "Stay and drink with Liu Xianyang. Heal your injuries, then go to the city wall to kill demons."

Liu Xianyang and Chen Pingan both stood up. Liu Xianyang grinned. "Knowing that my sister-in-law talks like this puts my mind at ease. It's all my fault for leaving home too early. Otherwise, who would call whom 'sister-in-law' or 'brother's wife' is hard to say."

Chen Pingan jabbed Liu Xianyang in the chest with his elbow.

Ning Yao asked with a smile, "How is that woman from Mud Vase Alley who always looks at people sideways and says strange things?"

Liu Xianyang winced and rubbed his chest, making a bitter face. "Speaking of people doesn't mean exposing their weaknesses; hitting people doesn't mean scratching their faces. That's the first principle of the marketplaces and martial world in our hometown."

Ning Yao flew off on her sword, a rainbow trail of sword energy behind her.

Liu Xianyang clicked his tongue in wonder. "The hesitant and timid Chen Pingan ended up with such a decisive wife. What a strange thing."

Chen Pingan withdrew his gaze, sat back down, and didn't drink. He clasped his hands in his sleeves and asked, "What's the scholarly atmosphere like at the Chen Clan of Pure Confucianism?"

Regarding the Chen Clan of Pure Confucianism, aside from the old almanac of the Lizhu Cave Heaven and the world-renowned Chen Chun'an of Southern Bending Bowl Continent, the only Chen Clan descendant from Yingyin that Chen Pingan had truly interacted with was that young woman named Chen Dui. Back then, Chen Pingan and Ning Yao had gone into the mountains with Chen Dui, Chen Songfeng (the direct grandson of the Longwei Creek Chen Clan), and Liu Baqiao (a sword cultivator from the Wind and Thunder Garden) to find that buttonwood tree on the grave mound, which held great significance for scholarly families.

Chen Pingan's impression of that young woman from elsewhere had been neither good nor bad.

Liu Xianyang didn't like wine, so he ordered a bowl of plain noodles and a dish of pickled vegetables. He mixed them together, put one foot up on the bench, and finished the noodles in a few bites. Then he stared blankly at the empty bowl, and after a moment, turned to ask, "Do I have to pay for these plain noodles?"

Chen Pingan shook his head. "Except for the wine, everything is free."

Liu Xianyang said in sudden realization, "I thought so. If you ran a business like this, you'd have been killed long ago."

Liu Xianyang recalled Chen Pingan's earlier question and said, "Studying there was very peaceful. As soon as I arrived, I received several generous gifts—the wind-flicking ink fish and a few other things. Later, I sent them to you and Little Snot. At the Chen Clan of Pure Confucianism, there were no hardships to speak of. Every day, I listened to the masters teaching the Dao and resolving doubts. Occasionally, I went out on study tours. It was all very smooth. I often went to sit on a large rocky cliff by the river to enjoy the scenery. There's no helping it—the Chen Clan of Pure Confucianism is hailed as the epitome of memorial arches under heaven. Not a single place there is like our hometown. Only that rocky cliff by the water was a bit like the Green Ox's Back where the three of us used to play. Even if I wanted to complain to you and pretend to be pitiful, I never had the chance. Compared to you, my luck has clearly been better. I hope it stays that way."

Chen Pingan breathed a sigh of relief.

Liu Xianyang laughed. "Even if there were some petty grievances like those of a little daughter-in-law, do you think Liu Xianyang would need you to stand up for me? Put your hand on your conscience: ever since we became friends, who has been looking out for who?"

Chen Pingan raised his wine bowl and smiled. "You almost got beaten to death by that old beast from Zheng Yang Mountain. Later, wasn't it me who got a little revenge for you?"

When talking to Liu Xianyang, there was no need to worry about face. When it came to being shameless, Chen Pingan felt he was only half as good as Liu Xianyang.

Liu Xianyang still had one foot on the bench, tapping the table with his chopsticks, and put on a profound expression. "You wouldn't know this, but I calculated everything. If it hadn't been for that bitter play of mine—me getting hurt—would a little mud-legged kid from Mud Vase Alley, who wasn't even half as handsome as me back then, a skinny bamboo pole and a lump of charcoal, have had a chance to get close to Ning Yao? Tell me yourself: who's the biggest matchmaker between you two?"

Chen Pingan just laughed dryly.

Liu Xianyang looked a little melancholy. "I never thought that aside from our hometown's glutinous rice wine, the first time I'd really drink would not be the wedding wine with my future wife. As a brother, I've been loyal enough. I just wonder if my wife has been born yet, and whether she's getting anxious waiting for me."

Chen Pingan drank his wine. Liu Xianyang had left home and hadn't touched alcohol since; it was probably true.

"Among the Chen Clan of Pure Confucianism, there are mostly good people. But it's inevitable that they have some of the petty problems common among young people, big and small."

Liu Xianyang smiled. "I made some friends over there too. For example, one of them came to the Sword Qi Great Wall this time—Chen Dui's younger brother, named Chen Shi. He's a very good person. Now he's a Confucian sage, so of course he's full of scholarly air. Being a Chen Clan descendant, he also has some young master's air. And as an immortal from the mountains, he has that celestial air too. Sometimes he shows one of these temperaments, sometimes two, and on rare occasions, all three at once—can't stop him."

Chen Pingan asked, "What's your realm now?"

He couldn't tell the depth; he only knew that Liu Xianyang seemed to be a middle-five realm Qi refiner.

Liu Xianyang waved his hand. "Don't ask. Otherwise, you'll be so ashamed you'll cry your head off."

Chen Pingan said helplessly, "As for my affairs, they must have reached the Spring Pennant Studio. It's not just about opening a shop. You've heard about a few of my fights, haven't you?"

Liu Xianyang asked, "Are you a sword cultivator now?"

Chen Pingan had no choice but to shake his head.

Liu Xianyang asked again, "What level of Qi refiner?"

Chen Pingan didn't want to talk.

Liu Xianyang pointed at the ground. "Then squat down and talk to Master Liu properly."

Chen Pingan said in exasperation, "At least I'm still a seventh-tier martial artist."

Liu Xianyang looked stunned. "You hit a girl, and you have the nerve to say that?"

Chen Pingan asked curiously, "Are you a middle-five realm sword cultivator?"

Liu Xianyang stretched out both hands, tugged at his collar, shook his sleeves, and coughed a few times.

Chen Pingan had already changed the subject. "Besides your friend, who else from the Chen Clan of Pure Confucianism came this time?"

Liu Xianyang smiled. "Why do you care about that?"

Chen Pingan also shook his sleeves and joked, "I am the direct disciple of the Sage Wen Sheng. The head of the Yingyin Chen Clan is a direct descendant of the Yasheng lineage. You studied at the Chen Clan of Pure Confucianism. According to the orthodox literary vein of the Haoran World, how would that affect our seniority?"

Liu Xianyang laughed. "What a coincidence. The Chen Clan head also came to the Sword Qi Great Wall this time. I happen to know him; I often ask the old man about scholarly questions. As for how our seniority should be calculated, I'll ask this senior first."

Chen Pingan suppressed his smile and put on an awkward expression. But as he lowered his head to drink, he used sound condensation to speak secretly to Liu Xianyang. "Don't rush back to Bottle Gourd Continent. Even staying in Southern Bending Bowl Continent is fine. Just don't go to Bottle Gourd Continent—especially Parasol Leaf Continent and Fuyao Continent. Absolutely don't go. Settle the old scores with Zheng Yang Mountain and Qingfeng City in a few years, after you become a sword immortal. If you're not an upper-five realm sword immortal, how can you break through Zheng Yang Mountain's mountain-protecting grand formation? I've calculated that without some schemes and tactics, even if you and I have the combat power of Jade Pu realm sword cultivators, it would be hard to gain an advantage at Zheng Yang Mountain. Their sword formation is not to be underestimated. And now they have a hidden Nascent Soul sword cultivator who has been in seclusion for nine years. From various signs, the chances of a successful breakthrough are high. Otherwise, the Wheel of Fortune would have turned. Once Li Tuanjing, the former head of the Wind and Thunder Garden, died, Zheng Yang Mountain finally had a chance to hold its head high. Given the temperament of most of its ancestral hall elders, they would have long retaliated against the Wind and Thunder Garden. They wouldn't have tolerated Huang He's seclusion or Liu Baqiao's growth in realm so patiently. The Wind and Thunder Garden is not like Zheng Yang Mountain. The latter has a close relationship with the Great Li court. In terms of connections in the mortal world, Huang He and Liu Baqiao inherited their master Li Tuanjing's way of dealing with the world: they only walk the martial world when going down the mountain and never involve themselves in court politics. So in terms of incense friendship with the Great Li Song clan alone, the Wind and Thunder Garden is far, far behind Zheng Yang Mountain. Although Master Ruan is the Great Li's chief guest official and the Great Li respects and courts him both publicly and privately—later even allocating a large piece of land in the old mountain region to the Dragon Spring Sword Sect—an emperor's nature is what it is. How could the young emperor tolerate the Dragon Spring Sword Sect gradually growing too powerful and monopolizing everything? How could he allow Master Ruan to recruit most of the sword embryo youths from the entire continent? At most, with Guanhu Academy as the boundary, he would create a north-south standoff between the Dragon Spring Sword Sect and Zheng Yang Mountain. So whenever Zheng Yang Mountain has a chance to produce an upper-five realm sword cultivator, Great Li will spare no effort to help them. And Great Li's strange talents and experts can suppress the luck of the Zhu Ying dynasty, thereby restraining the Dragon Spring Sword Sect."

"Zheng Yang Mountain, as a sect, even if it is our enemy, I must admit that whether as people or as mountain immortals, their cultivators are very skilled. For instance, consider that pitiful woman. Setting aside the grudges and love affairs, just looking at the result: she was able to trap Li Tuanjing with love, preventing him from reaching the upper-five realm his entire life. In this, the ancestral hall of Zheng Yang Mountain definitely said many harsh words to that woman, words that could wound Li Tuanjing's sword heart and Dao heart. It wasn't simply that the woman had poor character and betrayed deep affection. Li Tuanjing's vision and breadth of mind would never let him sink into depression because of that. So it's highly likely that Zheng Yang Mountain made Li Tuanjing discover a truth: the woman was genuinely deeply in love with Li Tuanjing. Precisely because her feelings were so deep, she ultimately chose her sect or did something that Li Tuanjing could neither accept nor let go of. After her death, he remained bitter for centuries. The family style of a clan and the sect style of a sect can be judged by how the great figures make choices in major matters, by the temperaments of the juniors they teach and nurture, and finally by the habits of the lower-ranking members regarding benefit and loss. If you look at all three levels, high, middle, and low, it's hard to go wrong. Back then, the woman from the Xu family of Qingfeng City and the Mountain-Moving Ape of Zheng Yang Mountain were allies yet schemed against each other. Now? Aren't they still solid allies? In the end, it's because they share the same aspirations and natures. Self-interested people often have more surface-level friends. As long as your sword attacks don't damage their core interests or foundation, Zheng Yang Mountain's surface-level friends remain their friends. It might even make many cultivators who had a neutral impression of Zheng Yang Mountain become their friends and even speak up for them out of a sense of righteousness."

"Now, about that little girl surnamed Tao back then and the son of the Xu family head of Qingfeng City—what are they like now? If you're willing to listen, I can tell you a dozen small incidents right now. It's the influence of family upbringing—no surprise at all. The Zheng Yang Mountain of today is no longer the Zheng Yang Mountain of Li Tuanjing's time, nor is it simply a Zheng Yang Mountain with no one to suppress it after Li Tuanjing's liberation by dissolution. Now it's a larger situation where one continent is like one country. The two of us need to consider how to sever the incense friendship between the Great Li Song clan and Zheng Yang Mountain, how to cut off Zheng Yang Mountain from its many allies, and before challenging them with a sword, we must sort out the entangled interests among the three major factions within Zheng Yang Mountain, understand the character and conduct of all its ancestral hall elders, and deduce their trump cards when facing a great enemy. Figure all this out first, and then when you draw your sword, the same strike can make the enemy a hundred times more miserable. After you strike, it's not just damage to their physical body but also damage to their hearts. The difference is like heaven and earth. When cultivators heal, they go into seclusion. It might even make Zheng Yang Mountain united in shared hatred, helping to rally their morale. But if you strike precisely, harming not just one or a few but also spreading damage to the hearts of many, then even after you've made your satisfying strike and sheathed your sword, the people of Zheng Yang Mountain will continue to be anguished for ten or a hundred years. Ten or a hundred of them will continue to strike with their swords for you, each sword wounding their hearts."

Liu Xianyang smiled as he looked at Chen Pingan, who had imperceptibly turned from a half-mute to a half-rambler. Liu Xianyang suddenly said some incomprehensible things. "As long as you're willing to live, no longer like when I first knew you, when you never thought death was a big deal. Then leaving Lizhu Cave Heaven was the rightest thing you could have done. Because you are actually better suited than anyone to live in a chaotic world. That truly sets my mind at ease."

Chen Pingan was a little anxious and said angrily, "Did you hear any of that?!"

Liu Xianyang smiled and nodded. "I heard you. I'm not deaf."

Chen Pingan took a sulky drink.

Liu Xianyang teased, "So you've been mulling over this all these years?"

Chen Pingan said crossly, "I haven't been idle with my fist practice and cultivation. Whenever I have nothing to do, I think about this."

Liu Xianyang pointed at the wine bowl. "After saying so much, you must be thirsty."

Chen Pingan just clasped his hands in his sleeves and somehow no longer felt like drinking.

Liu Xianyang laughed. "Do you really understand why Zheng Yang Mountain and Qingfeng City are the way they are?"

Chen Pingan asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Liu Xianyang countered, "Why do people harm others for their own benefit? Or why do they harm others? Or why is the momentary altruism just an elaborate disguise for long-term self-interest?"

Liu Xianyang asked again, "And why are some people both self-interested and altruistic, willing to benefit others?"

Liu Xianyang answered his own question, "Because these are two completely different kinds of people. One rejects the world; the other embraces it. The former pursues fame, fortune, status, and all tangible benefits. They are very pragmatic. Even if many of the things they pursue seem unattainable to ordinary people, they are still just grounded in the low. It is a kind of innate human nature. But precisely because it is low, it is solid and firm. The latter, on the other hand, while pursuing self-interest, is also willing to benefit others. Because they are idealistic—idealistic on a high plane. They have a kind of acquired closeness to the world. They give up tangible things and benefits, suffering material losses, in exchange for inner peace. Of course, there is also a deeper sense of belonging. Because it is high and intangible, it is easiest to make people disappointed. When the tangible and the intangible fight, the former usually ends up bleeding the most. In the end, it's because the former firmly believes that the world is not so good, and they can't live well unless they act this way. The latter believes that the world can be better. So the answer is simple: the Qi refiners of Zheng Yang Mountain and Qingfeng City seem to be cultivators of the Dao, but what they seek is not the Dao, only profit. Their tangible desires are just on a higher level than those of emperors, generals, peddlers, and porters. Each level of a Qi refiner, each heavenly treasure, can be quantified into how many immortal coins it's worth. Everyone around them has a price in their hearts."

Finally, Liu Xianyang said, "I dare to assert that after you left Lizhu Cave Heaven, you must have had considerable doubts about the scholars and cultivators outside. As well as self-doubt. In the end, you developed a certain degree of rejection toward both the 'scholar' and 'cultivator' categories."

Chen Pingan nodded. "Indeed."

Liu Xianyang's words benefited Chen Pingan greatly.

Truly worthy of a scholar who had studied for years at the Chen Clan of Pure Confucianism.

Liu Xianyang raised his bowl, took a sip, put it down, and couldn't help complaining, "No good, I can't keep pretending anymore!"

Chen Pingan was baffled.

Liu Xianyang continued using mental voice to speak, "These words, someone asked me to pass on to you. I wouldn't think of such things myself. That person said that after you heard them, your state of mind would be lighter, you'd have more hope in the world, and you'd understand both types of people better. As for who that person is, Elder Chen didn't say, and he didn't tell me to tell you about this. He just told me to speak them as my own insights from studying. I'm guessing that someone who cares so much about you and can get Elder Chen to relay a message must be your Sage Wen Sheng, right? That old gentleman is also an interesting character. Once, when he came on a tour to the Chen Clan of Pure Confucianism, he secretly met with me, deliberately saying he was an outsider who had come to admire the Chen Clan shrine. He dragged me to the riverside cliff and kept me there talking nonsense for over an hour. Actually, talking isn't the right word—he just kept muttering to himself. Apart from trivial courtesies, he sat there cursing Elder Chen's scholarship for being insufficient and the Yasheng lineage's scholarship for being insufficient, spraying spittle everywhere with great gusto. He even tried to persuade me to switch allegiances and study under the Lisheng lineage instead. He nearly got a punch from me."

At this point, Liu Xianyang raised one hand, then gently pressed it down with the other, laughing. "That time, I hit it off with old Sage Wen Sheng very well. When he saw me raise my hand, he chuckled and pressed my hand down, saying, 'Don't be like that. Let's talk things over nicely. We're all scholars here. Give me some face.'"

Chen Pingan rubbed his forehead.

That was exactly something his master would do.

He probably used the same method to reason with people when the sword cultivators from North Juzhou Continent came cross-continent to challenge the Aiai Continent back then.

Fortunately, the Wen Sheng lineage—senior brother Zuo You, Mr. Qi, even the National Master Cui Chan—none of them were like that.

Chen Pingan naturally thought of his own student, Cui Dongshan.

This time, the Chen Clan of Pure Confucianism study tour was personally led by Chen Chun'an to the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Chen Pingan believed that Cui Dongshan must have done something.

But he didn't need to talk about such things with Liu Xianyang.

Just meeting Liu Xianyang in a foreign land was already the happiest thing.

Chen Pingan raised his wine bowl. "Drink?"

Liu Xianyang shook his head. "I'm not drinking anymore."

He looked up at the sky. "Our study tour group is all staying at the mansion of Sword Immortal Sun Juyuan. I need to get back there. Earlier, I dropped off my things and rushed to the Ning Manor to find you. I only saw a kindly old woman who said you were probably drinking here. Ning Yao was probably sent here by that old woman."

Liu Xianyang stood up and smiled. "But I'll probably visit the Ning Manor often in the future, and I'll drag you here to drink often. Because, including Chen Shi, my few friends don't believe I know you. They say I'm boasting without even drafting a script. It pisses me off. I don't get it—how did knowing Chen Pingan become such a big deal? Shouldn't it be that Chen Pingan knowing Liu Xianyang is the luckiest thing under heaven?"

Chen Pingan stood up and laughed. "As long as you help bring business to my tavern, I'll even squat down to drink and talk with you. No problem."

One was going to Sun Sword Immortal's mansion, the other to the Ning Manor; part of the way was the same. They left the tavern together. Before leaving, Liu Xianyang didn't forget to pick up the pieces of the broken wine bowl on the ground, muttering, "Shattered fragments bring safety."

Then, walking on that quiet, empty street, Liu Xianyang hooked his arm around Chen Pingan's neck and squeezed hard, laughing loudly. "Next time we get to the foot of Zheng Yang Mountain, you open your eyes wide and watch. Then you'll see how impressive Master Liu's swordsmanship is."

The child Tao Ban, the boy, and the girl all watched them.

It seemed that today, the second shopkeeper had been bullied without any resistance, but he was still quite happy.

---

Daoxuan Mountain.

Shao Yunyan, a sword immortal from North Juzhou Continent, stood in a garden. The gourd vine was no longer there.

After Lu Sui from Shuijing Mountain and Liu Jinglong from Taihui Sword Sect had returned from the Sword Qi Great Wall and came to bid farewell, Shao Yunyan had entrusted that supreme treasure of heaven and earth to Lu Sui. He even specially called the young sword immortal Liu Jinglong and had Lu Sui take the vine—on which the nurturing sword gourds were nearly mature—out of Shuijing Mountain. He also told Lu Sui who each nurturing sword gourd was to be sold to, and asked Liu Jinglong to escort them all the way. Lu Sui naturally refused, but Shao Yunyan insisted and wouldn't let her refuse. Lu Sui had no choice but to accept, trembling with fear. If Liu Jinglong hadn't been standing by, even if she had agreed, she didn't think she could return to North Juzhou Continent alive. Such a celestial treasure was deeply entangled with heavenly fate and principles—mysterious beyond words. Even though Lu Sui was one of the top ten young talents of North Juzhou, she didn't feel she was qualified to "hold" this Daoist fortune.

Shao Yunyan finally said to Lu Sui with a smile, "Tell your master for me: all these years, I've missed her."

Today, Shao Yunyan, for once, left his residence and strolled through various scenic spots on Daoxuan Mountain.

Several of his direct disciples had already secretly left Daoxuan Mountain, carrying the other treasures of the Spring Pennant Studio and various possessions.

One of them, perhaps thinking the sky was high and birds could fly freely, tried to team up with outsiders to pursue and kill Lu Sui and Liu Jinglong.

Shao Yunyan didn't intervene. Whether that disciple with an insatiable heart was inviting his own misfortune or whether his life and death were predestined by fortune, it didn't matter.

Another of the four great private residences on Daoxuan Mountain, besides the Spring Pennant Studio, was the Plum Garden.

Bian Jing had not gone to Bending Bowl Continent with Yan Lü, Jiang Guancheng, and the other young sword cultivators for their tour. He had stayed behind alone.

A woman with a plum blossom makeup dot between her eyebrows had fair skin and crimson lips. She wore an intricately woven, almost fussy dress, stunningly beautiful.

She was the true owner of this Plum Garden, but she kept to herself and almost never showed her face.

Bian Jing called her Lady Tuoyan (tipsy-flushed face)—a beautiful name that matched her beautiful appearance perfectly.

Although Bian Jing had no interest in matters between men and women, he admitted that looking at Lady Tuoyan was a feast for the eyes.

The Green God Mountain Lady of the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven, the Lady Tuoyan of the Plum Garden—the Haoran World boasted ten such ladies, enough to make mountain immortals daydream and sway with infatuation.

These ladies had another peculiarity: they all originated as mountain and river deities, spirits, or ghosts.

Lady Tuoyan sat opposite Bian Jing in a waterside pavilion. She toyed with an imitation bamboo brush holder that the Plum Garden had just presented to her, decorated with layered bamboo scenes using the veneer craft—dense and sparse, perfectly executed, an incredible feat of craftsmanship. The bamboo veneer all came from the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven and was priceless.

Lady Tuoyan smiled. "So afraid of death?"

Bian Jing nodded. "I'm actually okay. I really wanted to go to the city wall with Lin Junbi. But the other one, in his mysterious way, insisted I hide and lie low. He said he cast a divination and if I wasn't careful, everything might fall apart, and the outcome would be very miserable."

Bian Jing asked, "That new gate—who first proposed opening it? And what does that Grand Heavenly Lord on Daoxuan Mountain think?"

Lady Tuoyan said, "You don't need to worry about that. Old gate or new gate, even if all of Daoxuan Mountain disappears, they will still exist."

Bian Jing asked doubtfully, "So there really are sword immortals acting as moles, willing to help us guard the gate?"

Lady Tuoyan glanced at the young man. "Is that strange? If it were you, on one side, you've been dying pathetically for ten thousand years; on the other side, you enjoy a peaceful world and even mock the dead. Would you feel at ease? Could endure one day, two days, one year, two years? Decades, centuries? Anyone with a bad temper could become a sword immortal?"

Bian Jing nodded. "If it were me, I'd repay doubly."

The young proprietor of the Stork and Sparrow Inn, who had lived there for generations, was squatting on the threshold of the inn, teasing a passing dog.

The sun was warm, making lazy people lazier. Another boring, peaceful world. Safe days.

Outside Daoxuan Mountain.

Dragon Abyss Trench was, of course, not merely filled with small fish and shrimp. Even for Earth Immortal cultivators, it was still an insurmountable forbidden zone, forcing detours.

Further away stood the Rain Dragon Sect, a sect with statues of the Rainmaster and a divine general facing each other. The Water Essence Palace on Daoxuan Mountain was its private residence.

Besides the colossal Rain Dragon Sect, the vast, boundless sea was dotted with mountain immortals occupying islands, each with its own rise, fall, glory, and shame.

On the route of the Osmanthus Island cross-continent ferry, the fourth maritime scenic spot was sailing slowly through the gap between the feet of the two hundred-foot golden statues of the Rain Dragon Sect.

Legend had it that the golden divine general, standing with both hands on his greatsword, was an ancient deity who once guarded the Southern Gate of the Heavenly Court. The other statue, with a blurry face and colorful ribbons, was the first of the many Rainmasters in heaven, nominally in charge of all true dragons' cloud and rainfall. After the Rain Dragon Sect's founder recreated their dharma images, they seemed to still govern part of the southern water transport.

The Rain Dragon Sect, with its two facing statues, had an ancient tradition: when female cultivators chose Daoist partners, everything depended on the sect's secret embroidered balls they threw. Upper-five realm cultivators could forcefully snatch them if they wanted; Earth Immortal cultivators definitely couldn't use divine abilities or spells to take them by force. But if an upper-five realm cultivator intervened, it was an open challenge to the entire Rain Dragon Sect.

More than ten years ago, a young Qi refiner with deep fortune was riding the Osmanthus Island ferry past the gap when, coincidentally, a Rain Dragon Sect immortal maiden threw her embroidered ball. He happened to catch it. The ball and ribbons seemed to levitate him, dragging him gracefully toward the heights of the Rain Dragon Sect. Not only that, but this man had even greater cultivation fortune: he became a Daoist partner with one of the immortal maidens. Such immense luck, such extraordinary romantic fortune, had even reached Old Dragon City on Bottle Gourd Continent, which heard of it from afar.

This young man, named Fu Ke, was indeed fated to be with the Rain Dragon Sect. Originally an obscure minor cultivator, after cultivating the Rain Dragon Sect's ancestral immortal arts, he rose step by step to heaven. Not only did he win a beautiful wife, but he also smoothly broke into the Golden Core realm, becoming the fastest Earth Immortal in the history of the Rain Dragon Sect to break through a realm. Having grown up struggling at the foot of the mountain, his manner in dealing with others was vastly different from cultivators born and raised in the Rain Dragon Sect. He was thus valued even more.

Today, Fu Ke came to the foot of one deity statue, climbed high to look far into the distance, his brows flying high. In just over a decade, he had transformed from a cash-strapped youth into an immortal being.

Some cultivator friends who had shared hardships with him came to visit. When the Rain Dragon Sect forbade outsiders to land on the island, Fu Ke would personally go to meet them, arrange accommodation on the sect's vassal territory, and if they wanted to return home, he gave them generous travel expenses. If they didn't want to leave, he helped them find a position or title on another island sect.

When a Rain Dragon Sect senior brother wanted to travel to the Sword Qi Great Wall but was stopped by his master, and he drank gloomily, Fu Ke would accompany him, saying little, just drinking.

During these years, the glorious and boundless Fu Ke occasionally felt as if it were another lifetime. Every so often, he would think about his bleak past situation and think about the fellow passengers on that Osland Island ferry back then. In the end, only he had stood out, stepping into heaven in a single bound.

But deep inside, Fu Ke always had a small knot. He had heard long ago that on that Osmanthus Island ferry, after he left the ship, there was another youth also from Bottle Gourd Continent who had been able to use divine abilities in Dragon Abyss Trench and didn't die, earning himself considerable fame. Not only that, but this surnamed Chen youth had even better luck than Fu Ke. These days, not only on the Sword Qi Great Wall, but even at Daoxuan Mountain's Water Essence Palace, word had been passed to the Rain Dragon Sect about this person's deeds. While Fu Ke spoke with a natural smile, even saying a few good words for the Wen Sheng lineage and for that youth, a small thought grew in his heart: this Chen Pingan might as well just die on the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Fu Ke naturally had no grudge against that person.

If he died, the world would go on as it should anyway, and what then?

Fu Ke smiled slightly, cheered up, turned around, and left to continue his cultivation. If he could make further progress and become a Nascent Soul cultivator, the seat of the Rain Dragon Sect's future sect leader would be one step closer. Perhaps, Fu Ke thought, in the future, I might even have the chance to add a female sword immortal from the Sword Qi Great Wall as a new Daoist companion.

Unbeknownst to him.

The great Dao walks its path.

When the water plants flourish, countless fish swim about, and even dragons can be nurtured.

When the seasons turn and the water dries up, they will all be roasted to death under the sun.