# Chapter 631: Gentle Breeze, Melting Moon
Daoxuan Mountain originally had only a single gate that led to the Sword Qi Great Wall. Now that a larger gate had been opened, the old gate had become much less lively.
To use the words of the sword-embracing man, it was a case of "loving the new and hating the old, wounding people's hearts."
The little Daoist boy of extremely high seniority still sat over there reading a book. He was perusing a miscellaneous book written by a frustrated scholar. He casually gathered a handful of bright moonlight and enveloped himself and the book in it, like using fireflies to illuminate a book for reading.
Last time, he had been thoroughly disgusted by that white-clothed young man whose brain had been squeezed by a door plank and then kicked by a donkey. That good book about talented scholars and beautiful ladies, the bland and plain *Collection Among the Pines*, had been twisted by that fellow into a censored version of erotic fiction. This had left him unable to recover for several days; he couldn't muster the energy to read any book at all. So he had to give up this one of his few pleasures and could only spend his days in a daze.
But after enduring nearly a month without reading, he was unbearably bored. So when he started reading again, he directly brought a large stack of books to his side, reading day and night with great obsession.
Although the little Daoist boy was a celestial being, he read slowly and meticulously. Even though he could remember everything at a glance, he still liked to frequently flip back to earlier pages to take another look.
The sword-embracing man guarding the other side of the gate, carrying his sword in his arms, wandered over to the little Daoist boy's side. Remembering that this counted as slacking off, he ran back and placed his longsword on top of a pillar. Then he grabbed a jug of wine and returned to squat beside the little Daoist boy to freeload on the reading. The little Daoist boy only wanted to enjoy himself alone and detested the smell of alcohol. He turned away, but the man followed him as he shifted positions. The little boy had been neighbors with this man for many years and knew how boring a bored sword cultivator could be, so he just let the man do as he pleased.
The man pointed a finger at a sentence on the page: "This scholar in the book has some skill. 'The mountains are clear, the waters beautiful, all the spiritual energy of heaven and earth bestowed upon beautiful women. We men who come to this world only do things like defiling the mountains and rivers and disappointing the beauties.' What a well-said line! Circle it and memorize it."
The little Daoist boy was used to this man's chatter and just kept reading and turning pages. The man didn't care about the boy's page-turning and just kept on chattering.
After finishing a book, the man sighed: "Boring. Not a trace of any spicy flavor."
The little Daoist boy put down his book and picked up another. This one was about the adventures of the jianghu under the moonless, windy night—leaping over eaves and walking on walls. When the man came to the exciting parts, he drank more wine, but his eyes were always fixed on the page, not missing a single character. He clicked his tongue in wonder: "As expected, he's the little Heavenly Lord inside the book favored by the big Heavenly Lord outside the book. Other martial arts prodigies spend their whole lives unable to fathom a peerless technique, but once he gets his hands on it, he learns it in one night. So enviable. Too bad the description of this technique's secret manual is passed over lightly and written vaguely. Otherwise, I could try it myself..."
"See, I was right! This kind of slovenly old codger, the more he talks crazy and strange, the more he's a peerless master hiding his true depth. How about that? I was right again! The old man truly looks upon our little Heavenly Lord with new eyes. Oh ho! A grand gesture! Using his lifetime's worth of sixty years of inner energy for a top-down infusion, not only opening the Conception and Governing Vessels, but also completely reforming the marrow and cleaning the bones! Good heavens, if he returns to the jianghu now, wouldn't he be invincible under heaven?"
Halfway through the book, the little Daoist boy said matter-of-factly: "Clearly, he still can't be considered invincible under heaven for the time being. Even with this sixty years of inner energy falling from the sky, plus his own twenty years of tempering, that's only eighty years of inner energy. Earlier, there was a foreshadowing, mentioned in passing by a passerby character in the book: that great demon who had stirred up a sea of blood in the jianghu had already cultivated a hundred years' worth of inner energy, pure and unfathomably deep. He can't beat that."
The man rubbed his chin, finding this reasonable: "Then what he lacks is a divine weapon that can cut through iron like mud. But it probably won't come too quickly, since the story is only half told."
The little Daoist boy slowly turned a page and, for once, agreed with this man: "What's the hurry? It will definitely come, otherwise there's no way to fight."
The man took a fierce gulp of wine: "Childhood sweetheart old flame, righteous female knight encountered in the jianghu, beautiful demoness who loves and fights—not one can be missing!"
The author, who was probably just trying to earn enough for firewood, rice, paper, and ink, probably couldn't have imagined that after his book was printed, there would be two such readers.
And both of them read so "superficially," yet still had some genuine affection for it.
One must know that one was a Daoist Heavenly Lord whose master's name was taboo throughout the world, seeking to learn from the ancient true men—to uplift heaven and earth, grasp yin and yang, move mountains and overturn seas, breathe in the vital essence, and coexist with heaven and earth.
The other was a great Sword Immortal of the Sword Qi Great Wall who had participated in the battle of the Thirteen. Not only were all his associates heroes and bold spirits, he also had a female Sword Immortal as a confidante.
But the little Daoist boy, despite his illustrious lineage and master, had left his homeland in the Azure World to come here for training, to hone his Daoist heart.
As for this man, he was the most condemned of convicts, forced to guard this gate behind them year after year.
The little Daoist boy closed his book. The man grew anxious: "What are you doing?"
The little Daoist boy said, "Take a break. This book is good; read it more slowly."
There was a scene in the book that didn't describe mountains or immortals, only jianghu people. A few sparse brushstrokes, and it made the little Daoist boy, who had never truly walked the jianghu, feel as if he were seeing a painting.
After rain, the sky had just cleared. Mist rose from the water, blurring into the heavens. At the center of the lake was a colorful boat. A hero stood at the prow. Without a pole to part the water, it gradually approached a pavilion. Along the way, reeds bent and rustled with sound. In the pavilion, a man in white robes warmed wine, awaiting the appointment—a duel to the death after getting drunk.
The man sighed mournfully, leaned back, and lay down. He asked casually, "Daoist Lord Jiang, what exactly is the Azure World like?"
The little Daoist boy answered casually, "Quite a lot of customs and rules too, probably about the same as this Haoran World."
The man asked, "Has Daoist Number Two not yet gathered the five hundred Spiritual Officials?"
The little Daoist boy didn't think this was some secret heavenly secret that couldn't be divulged: "Probably still some time off. Changing to a smaller snail shell to continue doing his ritual site—it's not easy."
The man clasped his hands behind his head, adjusted to a comfortable position, and crossed his legs: "Everyone's very busy."
The little Daoist boy smiled: "You and I aren't busy."
The man looked towards the bright moon: "People like us who burn the midnight oil are also busy."
A Liang had once left a famous saying at the Sword Qi Great Wall: Cultivators who don't stay up late at night can't cultivate any great Dao.
As for how to stay up late?
Bitterly practicing qi cultivation and swordsmanship—that's the lower grade.
Drinking alcohol is the middle grade—even if you drink until your pockets are empty and you can't afford any more wine, the moonlight in your cup costs nothing, and the cup is never empty.
As for what is the upper grade...
The drunkards and gamblers—all men—would share a knowing smile.
The little Daoist boy found it a bit strange and turned to look at the man: "Zhang Lu, are you really this listless? The war at the Sword Qi Great Wall is urgent. If you truly insist on returning to the city walls, Chen Qingdu wouldn't stop you, would he?"
The man named Zhang Lu closed his eyes to rest, saying, "My heart is tired."
The little Daoist boy smiled: "With this kind of mindset, it's hard to make further progress."
Zhang Lu whispered, "Whatever."
The little Daoist boy reached out and dispersed the ball of bright moonlight that was like a lamp on a desk. He looked up at the sky: "The true flavor between heaven and earth can only be tasted by the quiet."
"Did your master teach you that?"
"Read it in a miscellaneous book."
"Jiang Yunsheng, what do you think—'When a common man sees insult, draws his sword and rises, stands up to fight, and can forget life and death'—is that good or not?"
"Don't know. Too lazy to think."
"All banquets under heaven must end. I'll miss you later. If I get the chance, I'll go to your hometown to hang out with you."
"A grown man saying this to another grown man—who are you trying to disgust?!"
"You're just in the form of a child. You can't be that grown up."
"Zhang Lu, are you looking for a beating?!"
The man turned over and actually fell into a deep sleep.
If this were one of the nine major continents of the Haoran World, a great Sword Immortal, no matter how down on his luck, wouldn't have ended up with such a tiny foothold.
The little Daoist boy continued reading.
Poor Sword Immortal Shao Yunyan.
---
Doing business, earning silver—day and night.
Every single spirit coin was praised as the most quintessential gathered spiritual energy under heaven. But whether there was truly a single clean spirit coin under heaven—hard to say.
A huge ferry ship, after unloading its cargo and exchanging it for a large pile of alchemy workshop supplies from the Sword Qi Great Wall, departed from the Daoxuan Mountain dock.
This was an intercontinental ferry from the Mountain-and-Water Grotto, a major sect of the Southwest Fuyao Continent. The ferry's name was very rustic—"Earthen Basin."
It was said that the founding patriarch of Mountain-and-Water Grotto had risen from the streets and alleys. But after making his fortune, everything he did was to sever ties with his past, living the mountain life like a human prince or marquis. Only in naming the intercontinental ferry of his "Cornucopia" did his true origins show through.
An elder Nascent Soul steward of the ferry stood on the observation deck at the top floor, silently counting on his fingers. This round trip to Daoxuan Mountain would earn at least seventy Grain Rain coins. Plus, with several major dynasties on Fuyao Continent below the mountains now fighting each other to the point of darkness, if handled properly and with the right buyers, it wasn't impossible to double that amount.
Up on the mountains, due to those few immortal treasures that had appeared in response to the times, there were as many as three half-immortal soldiers alone. People had fought to the point of bloodshed. Not only had several Earth Immortals died, but many old turtles of the Upper Five Realms had gradually surfaced. If not for the constraints of the Confucian academies, these old immortals could only stand behind the scenes, then it wouldn't have been this peaceful—just using puppets on strings to contend.
Whether up on the mountains or down below, such costly fighting back and forth was good business for top merchant sects like Mountain-and-Water Grotto.
Qionglin Sect was wealthy because North Juju Continent had a cloud of sword cultivators, causing immortal sects to change rapidly. With great momentum, spirit coins naturally started rolling.
As for the Liu clan of Aiai Continent, they were another breed entirely. They could do business with anyone. Many of their deals had long since surpassed the realm of mere money. What they paid and what they earned was the rise and fall of dynasties, the changing of guards at immortal clans of sect-head status.
The most terrifying part was that the Liu clan of Aiai Continent would do business with anyone, and their greatest principle was to first ensure the other party could make money. Even more terrifying was that they had actually succeeded in this, and it had become an unbreakable family rule passed down through generations.
The old cultivator's trip to Daoxuan Mountain had been quite fruitful. As the steward of an intercontinental ferry for Mountain-and-Water Grotto, he had received instructions from the patriarch. Earlier, in a high-class room at Lingzhi Studio, he had met with several fellow cultivators from Fuyao Continent and Golden Armor Continent, planning to exchange what they had and work together to make money. With a total of eight intercontinental ferries, they needed to put some real effort into the profit margins. Otherwise, they would be giving the Yan family and the Nalan family of the Sword Qi Great Wall room to compare prices and take advantage. So they had to agree on a midway port not too far from Daoxuan Mountain, settle on prices first, divide the goods, have each ferry specialize in a few items, and then come to Daoxuan Mountain to haggle with the Sword Qi Great Wall.
That was the first matter, and there was almost no disagreement. Mainly because Mountain-and-Water Grotto was wealthy and determined to make this happen. They were willing to guarantee that after the next transaction, everyone would profit, pleasing all parties, proving the method feasible. From then on, they would follow this rule when dealing with Daoxuan Mountain. But if anyone lost money, Mountain-and-Water Grotto would compensate them out of their own pocket.
The second matter: the war at the Sword Qi Great Wall was now extremely difficult, requiring massive supplies. Mountain-and-Water Grotto took the lead in proposing a suggestion. In addition to jointly building several new ferries, they would pay to invite those old patriarchs out of retirement to help open one or two smoother new routes, kill off the obstacles in the way, and then help guard the ferries. In the past, the money was too little to move them. Now the situation had changed, and there were enough Grain Rain coins. Even if these old patriarchs themselves looked down on it, everyone still had sects, direct disciples, and families to consider. As long as the respective sect leaders stepped in, using reason and emotion, there was still hope of persuading these old-timers to get a little involved in the mundane world.
The third matter was more troublesome. Yan Ming and Nalan Caihuan, both Nascent Soul sword cultivators, had gone to the city walls. Clan affairs were temporarily handed over to younger clan members. Although these successors were far less shrewd than the two Sword Qi Great Wall financial gods, the problem was that this bunch held firm on prices and stuck to the rules. If you didn't agree, both sides would just drag things out. While everyone knew the Sword Qi Great Wall couldn't outlast the intercontinental ferries, spending an extra ten days or half a month at Daoxuan Mountain meant paying Daoxuan Mountain a hefty fee in spirit coins. So not only Mountain-and-Water Grotto, but in fact all intercontinental ferries hoped to break the deadlock.
Historically, during the great war at the Sword Qi Great Wall, the Nalan family had not hesitated to throw harsh words at intercontinental ferries from several continents that asked too much—"Either sell or don't; if not, get lost."
Just when the stewards of over a dozen ferries from those continents were all like ants on a hot pan, about to lower their heads and submit, things suddenly took a turn. A young man, unknown on the Fuyao Continent ferry, used the art of alliance and persuasion. He actually convinced all the stewards from seven continents' sect ferries to not care about making money. All ferries withdrew from Daoxuan Mountain overnight, as if sightseeing, and docked at the tributary island port of the Rain Dragon Sect, leaving only one sentence for the Sword Qi Great Wall: "We simply won't earn this money."
That young man, who rose to fame and ultimately helped all the ferries make a big profit, was none other than the founding patriarch of Mountain-and-Water Grotto. At the time, he was only a Observing the Sea realm cultivator, yet he could convince all the old foxes who had been in business for years. Within just thirty years after that, the young man had his own mountain and his own intercontinental ferry.
The Nalan family had thought about specifically targeting Mountain-and-Water Grotto's two intercontinental ferries, but Mountain-and-Water Grotto handled it easily every time. Over time, what else could be done? Business continued.
Later came the Yan family. Patriarch Yan Ming was relatively easier to deal with. Unlike the Nalan family's businessmen who were more straightforward and had more of a sword cultivator's bad temper, Yan Ming was more like a true merchant. He was diligent and conscientious, trying his best to help the Sword Qi Great Wall spend less unnecessarily, while also letting the various intercontinental ferries make money—a mutually beneficial arrangement. When Nalan Caihuan took over the family's financial authority, her relationship with the ferries from various continents wasn't bad either. After the two smart people, Yan Ming and Nalan Caihuan, were in charge of trade, their relationship was generally neutral, mostly keeping to themselves. Privately, there were some occasional conflicts of interest, big and small.
An old cultivator's direct disciple came to the observation deck, hesitating to speak.
The old Nascent Soul smiled and said, "Speak your mind."
The young man asked, "Master, in the past, our Mountain-and-Water Grotto ferries always allowed credit from the Sword Qi Great Wall. After the war ended, we would settle accounts according to the agreed interest—early repayment meant less, late repayment meant more. Why has the patriarch now asked us to join with other ferries and refuse this to the Sword Qi Great Wall?"
The old man said softly, "Although the Sword Qi Great Wall has strict control over information, not allowing anyone near the city walls, even an old acquaintance like me who used to stay at the Sword Immortal mansions every time—this time, when I entered the Sword Qi Great Wall, I couldn't even go into the city. I could only negotiate trade with those two families in the mansions between the city and the mirage. But the more they try to hide it, the more it proves that this time the demon race is coming fiercely, and this battle at the Sword Qi Great Wall will be extremely brutal. Tell me, how are the Yan and Nalan families doing financially?"
The young man smiled: "Both Yan Ming and Nalan Caihuan are masters at this. Their accumulated wealth, whether personal or on behalf of the Sword Qi Great Wall, must be substantial."
The old man nodded and smiled: "So this time, we can help Mountain-and-Water Grotto earn a lot more. Not only will we drain the Yan and Nalan families' coffers to the bottom, we'll also empty the alchemy workshops' reserves. As for the refusal of credit, we are of course serious about it—truly not joking. But in fact, it can also be taken as not serious. How we make it not serious depends on the sincerity of Yan Ming and Nalan Caihuan."
The young man said cautiously: "Sword Immortals have bad tempers. We mustn't provoke them into desperation."
The old man sneered: "The Nalan family has the ancestor Nalan Shaowei, one of the ten great Sword Immortals of the Sword Qi Great Wall. If he were on our Fuyao Continent, who would dare to breathe loudly in front of such an old monster? Is Nalan Shaowei good-tempered? Not at all. But even if he meets us, what can he do? Sword Immortals have great killing power and like to kill? Then let them kill all they want. Do they dare? Next, we'll persuade the ancestors of the other ferry sects to come out of retirement. So, spirit coins are the hardest fists under heaven."
What the young man really wanted to ask was why they couldn't earn a little less money. Always squeezing the Sword Qi Great Wall dry like this seemed unnecessary.
The old man seemed to see through his direct disciple's thoughts and laughed: "You, your cultivation is acceptable, but when it comes to business, you're hopelessly stupid and without talent! If you can earn money but think about earning less, do you think you'll ever really earn big money? As long as you think that way, you'll never become a figure like our patriarch in your lifetime. Don't even think about it. You're not even worthy of carrying his shoes!"
Finally, the old man said: "You kid, mind your own business. Just live your own life well, and that's already quite something. When you become a more important figure in Mountain-and-Water Grotto than your master, that's when you'll have the right to talk about earning less. But I can tell you for certain that if that day ever comes, you'll only want to earn even more than your master. And you'll look back at today's thoughts and find them laughable. Why?"
The old man answered his own question: "Because your ass will be sitting in that seat in the Mountain-and-Water Grotto Patriarch Hall."
---
Fu Ke, the youngest Golden Core Earth Immortal in the history of the Rain Dragon Sect, left the sect's main island ancestral mountain today. He went to a tributary island to visit a friend.
The Rain Dragon Sect itself didn't have intercontinental ferries because it didn't need them. With over twenty tributary islands of various sizes, each with docks, all occupied by immortal sects attached to the Rain Dragon Sect, plus direct disciples, outer disciples, and servants, there were tens of thousands of people.
The vast majority of North Juju Continent's intercontinental ferries, as well as some from South Basuo Continent, needed to stop here in transit.
Fu Ke didn't bring any beauties with him. He traveled alone on a talisman boat and landed on an island called Jasper Island. The island had immortal trees with texture like jade, extremely precious, and was a high-priced purchase for many docked intercontinental ferries. After all, they had earned their fill at Daoxuan Mountain, so they didn't lack this expense. Besides, they would earn more when they returned home, so this was just icing on the cake.
Jasper Island was located northeast of the Rain Dragon Sect. In earlier years, one could often see old rain dragons traveling back and forth between the Flood Dragon Trench and South Basuo Continent. With luck, one could even see exhausted dragons falling into the sea, barely alive. But the Rain Dragon Sect was a close neighbor to the Flood Dragon Trench and had always treated these dragon-kind creatures kindly. When exhausted dragons floated on the sea and couldn't return to their lairs, there would even be great cultivators who specifically used their power to move the currents to float them back to the Flood Dragon Trench.
But in recent years, this was hardly seen anymore. Because the Flood Dragon Trench had been attacked by a sword immortal of extremely high swordsmanship and extremely bad temper. For the sake of reputation, he had smashed more than half of the lairs, regardless of right or wrong. Old-timers on Jasper Island who had weathered many storms said that this kind of sword immortal had only realm cultivation but didn't know how to be human—a classic case of virtue not matching position.
Fu Ke was actually the most qualified to speak the truth about this rumor, but he didn't want to spoil the fun of his own people.
Fu Ke's talisman boat didn't land directly at his friend's private residence. He properly landed at the mountain gate on the shore of Jasper Island, then walked slowly. Along the way, he took the initiative to greet people. Those who spoke with him, even if just polite words, whether male or female, all felt flattered and honored.
For Fu Ke, this was a small matter that could achieve two goals at once.
One was to deepen his image of being approachable. The other was to help his friend gain some face. Up on the mountains and down below, face could be exchanged for money.
Fu Ke's friend was Yu Fujing, a Lower Five Realm cultivator who had no reputation even on Vase Continent. They were old acquaintances from earlier years, when both had similar backgrounds and realms. Who would have thought that Fu Ke, that almost-destitute poor man who only wanted to see Daoxuan Mountain once in his life, would have such great Dao fortune fall on his head? He didn't even see Daoxuan Mountain; instead, he stayed halfway at the Rain Dragon Sect and rose to prominence, becoming the favored son-in-law of a sect-head immortal clan, with two fairy maidens successively throwing themselves into his arms.
Such deep fortune—truly enviable. Such deep romantic luck—enough to make others die of envy.
This news quickly spread back to Vase Continent via the return of the Old Dragon City Osmanthus Island ferry. Fu Ke immediately became an existence admired by many wild cultivators and envied by registered immortal masters.
So Yu Fujing came to try his luck. Initially, he just hoped to get some spirit coins from between Fu Ke's fingers, maybe a few Small Heat coins, to help his friend out. That would have been enough for Yu Fujing. Who would have thought that Fu Ke was truly loyal? After Yu Fujing risked leaving the ferry and went to the Rain Dragon Sect trembling with fear, not daring to land, only daring to report his name and say he knew Fu Ke. At the time, he was even too embarrassed to say he was Fu Ke's friend.
Fu Ke not only hurried out of the Rain Dragon Sect, but due to sect rules, he couldn't bring Yu Fujing onto the main island. So he settled Yu Fujing on Jasper Island, telling him to feel free to stay and not rush back to Vase Continent. After Fu Ke left, Yu Fujing felt both fortunate and regretful, because Fu Ke hadn't made any promises. But unexpectedly, the day after, the Jasper Island Patriarch Hall's law-enforcing cultivator personally visited and asked if he was willing to become an inner disciple of Jasper Island. Although not a Patriarch Hall direct disciple, it already made Yu Fujing weep with gratitude. After all, although Jasper Island was a tributary of the Rain Dragon Sect, it had an old Nascent Soul immortal stationed there! Back in his homeland of Vase Continent, how lofty and unattainable would such an immortal mansion be?
And that law-enforcing cultivator was also a Golden Core Earth Immortal. Yu Fujing, a Lower Five Realm wild cultivator, would never have dared to dream in his lifetime that a Golden Core Earth Immortal would smile at him or speak a single polite word to him.
After that, Yu Fujing began to cultivate steadily as a registered disciple of Jasper Island. He obtained immortal techniques and formulas, but his aptitude was truly mediocre. His cultivation progress was always slow. Even the Cavern Dwelling realm, considered nothing on Jasper Island, was probably hopeless for him in this lifetime. But it didn't matter; the Patriarch Hall cultivators still looked at him differently.
Today, Fu Ke had come to Jasper Island, obviously to visit him, Yu Fujing.
Having already learned the news from his sect, Yu Fujing rushed out of his house. Why bother cultivating qi? Unless there was additional Dao affinity or a mountain of spirit coins thrown at him, sitting in meditation like him was just waiting for death.
But at the gate, Yu Fujing suddenly stopped, dawdled for a long time, then opened the door. After a short wait, he saw Fu Ke, who was just taking leave of the Jasper Island patriarch.
Yu Fujing quickly quickened his pace, thinking to at least exchange a few words with that Nascent Soul immortal. The old island lord Nascent Soul actually stopped.
Yu Fujing hurried forward and gave Fu Ke a heavy slap on the shoulder, laughing and scolding him for being a man who forgets his friends once he has a wife. Fu Ke smiled and said nothing.
Yu Fujing immediately bowed respectfully to his sect's patriarch.
The old Nascent Soul exchanged a few pleasantries with Yu Fujing—things like "cultivate diligently, the Great Dao has hope"—then smiled and left. Yu Fujing held his breath and listened attentively. After the old immortal left, Yu Fujing pulled Fu Ke into his private residence. It wasn't large, but at least it was private. On Jasper Island, where hierarchy was strict, among Lower Five Realm cultivators with private residences, besides the young geniuses who were the future pillars of the Patriarch Hall, there was only Yu Fujing.
Yu Fujing pulled Fu Ke in for a drink.
Fu Ke took out three jugs of immortal wine brewed by the Rain Dragon Sect from his storage artifact. They each had one jug. Pointing to the remaining jug, Fu Ke said with a smile, "Your master likes wine; you can give this to him later."
Yu Fujing gave a thumbs up: "Loyal!"
Fu Ke smiled and said, "We can drink, but remember not to get drunk. This wine has a strong aftereffect. If you like it, even if I can't come myself, I'll have someone send it to Jasper Island."
Yu Fujing teased, "So high and mighty now? Fu Ke, now that you're an Earth Immortal, do you look down on your Lower Five Realm friend?"
Fu Ke said helplessly, "What nonsense. It's because I've hit a small bottleneck and need to go into seclusion for a while, so I can't get away."
Yu Fujing took a sip of wine, put one foot on his chair, and looked outside, sighing emotionally: "I never would have thought that I'd be sitting here with Fu Ke, drinking this ridiculously expensive immortal wine."
Fu Ke smiled: "The Great Dao is unpredictable, that's all. Drink up."
Yu Fujing drank quite fast, and Fu Ke couldn't stop him.
Yu Fujing had originally been full of gratitude towards Fu Ke. But as Fu Ke rose step by step, giving the impression of near-perfection, some thoughts had arisen in his mind.
Profit could be made.
Fu Ke had abandoned his wife of poor origins, as if this mundane karma had never existed. After climbing the mountain, he married beauties and became a Patriarch Hall direct disciple of the Rain Dragon Sect, completely forgetting his past.
Yu Fujing certainly wasn't threatening, nor did he dare to threaten a friend who was both an Earth Immortal.
So at today's drinking session, Yu Fujing seemed casual, but let something slip. Just a light remark, mixed in with reminiscing about the past.
Fu Ke put down his wine jug.
Yu Fujing then slapped himself: "Look at this rotten mouth of mine! Fu Ke, don't overthink it. I'll never say a word about this to anyone outside."
Fu Ke smiled.
And then Yu Fujing died on the spot.
Fu Ke picked up his wine jug and continued drinking slowly, looking towards the gate, muttering to himself: "Yu Fujing, you came to me to try for wealth and fortune. So I left the Rain Dragon Sect, rowed a boat to meet you, and gave you a fortune you wouldn't even dare to dream of. If you had stayed put and known your place, maybe you would have had some chance, maybe become my right-hand man in the future. After all, realm is realm, brains are brains. I always knew you were a smart guy. But you didn't cherish your blessings yourself, so you can't blame me for not remembering brotherly feelings."
"You were only a Lower Five Realm cultivator, never having seen the scenery from the mountaintop. But I have seen it with my own eyes. Things like face and reputation—if possible, I of course want them all. But when forced to choose between two harms, the lesser harm is chosen. When I think you're an ungrateful wolf who can never be satisfied, then it's better to end it early than keep you by my side to harm me later. Actually, there was another reason I kept you here: every time I saw you, it would remind me, keep me alert, remind me exactly of my lowly origins. That way, I can cherish even more every spirit coin I have now, every fawning smile, every piece of flattery."
Fu Ke's expression fell into melancholy: "Do you really think your death is anything major? I'll do nothing. After I walk out this door, I'll still say nothing. I'll just return to the Rain Dragon Sect, and the entire Jasper Island will handle everything flawlessly. They'll even be sincerely grateful to you for helping Jasper Island forge a covert bond of friendship with me. That's what smart people do. Yu Fujing, oh Yu Fujing, your vision is still too narrow. No wonder you sought your own death."
Fu Ke stood up, wiped his hands, and turned to glance at the dead man: "I told you earlier—just drink properly and talk less drunken nonsense. You wouldn't listen."
Fu Ke really did leave Jasper Island like that. He went to the mountain gate, summoned his talisman boat, and headed back to the Rain Dragon Sect.
Fu Ke lay on the talisman boat, closed his eyes, and thought about future matters. First, become a Nascent Soul, then enter the Upper Five Realms, then become the sect master of the Rain Dragon Sect, take possession of the Water Crystal Palace—one of the four private residences at Daoxuan Mountain—as his personal property. Then he would return to his hometown in glory, go to that tiny little Vase Continent in the corner, and take a few of those fairy maidens he had once regarded as heavenly goddesses and make them into maidservants who served tea and water. Like Su Jia of Zhengyang Mountain... oh wait, that fairy lady had already fallen from a phoenix on a branch to a muddy ground-walking chicken. Forget her. No matter how beautiful she is, what use is that? Does the world lack beautiful women? No. What it lacks are people like Fu Ke, those destined to reach the summit.
Fu Ke stretched out one hand high, gently made a fist, and smiled: "I wonder if I'll have the chance to keep a few female Sword Immortals of the Sword Qi Great Wall as hidden beauties. I hear that Luo Zhenyi and Siwei Weiran are both not too old, very beautiful, and strong fighters—first-rate female Sword Immortal seedlings. If the Sword Qi Great Wall collapses and the monkeys scatter, won't I have an opportunity?"
As for the possibility of the Sword Qi Great Wall falling—such a mess would be cleaned up by those lofty Confucian sages. Why would he, Fu Ke, or the Rain Dragon Sect need to exert themselves?
Not to mention the Central Continent, but closer by, wasn't there the pure Confucian Chen Chun'an currently on the city walls?
Besides, that was just a possibility. The sword cultivators of the Sword Qi Great Wall were truly interesting. The qi refiners of the Haoran World were all afraid of death, but at the Sword Qi Great Wall, everyone seemed afraid of living, doing things that sought death.
Thinking of this, Fu Ke opened his eyes and silently recited: "Too bad the beasts of the Barren World are too useless."
A bird flew past the talisman boat. Fu Ke glanced at it and laughed loudly.
The poets say that boat and water bird share the same dream.
We immortal guests, riding a boat among the white clouds, should share dreams with the birds.
---
If Reed Flower Island could be neighbors with the Rain Dragon Sect, known throughout the world for its aggressive ways, without becoming a tributary vassal, it certainly needed some ability.
In the last thousand years, the Rain Dragon Sect had only suffered a loss at the hands of that one Sword Immortal. As for other passing cultivators, even Earth Immortals, even Upper Five Realm immortals, they all had their spirit broken by the Rain Dragon Sect. Their outcomes were never good. And the Rain Dragon Sect was too far from the three continents' land, isolated overseas, with the emperor far away. So the Rain Dragon Sect's rules were often more effective than the Confucian academies' rules.
That Reed Flower Island could avoid being annexed by the Rain Dragon Sect actually had nothing to do with its own cultivators. It was because Reed Flower Island had an ancient ruin, dubbed the "Creation Grotto" by later busybodies. It was said that a Daoist high person of unknown origin resided there, monopolizing all the qi luck, not allowing anyone else to touch it. However, regarding this old history, even the highest-seniority cultivator on Reed Flower Island could no longer confirm its truth or falsehood—it was simply too long ago. Any great cultivator from outside who dared to investigate never returned, and gradually everyone gave up the idea. No matter how precious an immortal opportunity, one shouldn't lose one's life over it. Moreover, Reed Flower Island itself had no designs on it, and the Rain Dragon Sect hadn't annexed the place—that already said enough.
Reed Flower Island was only barely close neighbors with the southwesternmost tributary island of the Rain Dragon Sect; it was actually quite far from the Rain Dragon Sect itself.
Reed Flower Island had quite a few cultivators, but not much money. This was due to the Tongye Continent, which disliked dealing with other continents and wasn't willing to build any intercontinental ferries. Although the route from Tongye Continent to Daoxuan Mountain was indeed more dangerous than ferry routes like Old Dragon City, sects as large as Tongye Sect and Jade Gui Sect could have opened routes without too much difficulty if they were willing to earn this hard money, and they definitely wouldn't have lost money. But unfortunately, the immortal forces of Tongye Continent were mostly behemoths, famously well-off and worry-free throughout the Haoran World. Unlike other continents where every country had immortal mansions and every prefecture had immortal masters. Take Jade Gui Sect, for example: they owned a Cloud Grotto Paradise and simply weren't interested in this kind of intercontinental trade.
As the Jiang clan head put it: "I can make money just by sneezing or farting quietly. Why would I waste time running to Daoxuan Mountain to earn money?"
"You can insult Jiang Shangzhen's low realm, but you absolutely cannot insult Jiang Shangzhen's ability to make money. If anyone dares to be such a hero, I'll drown them in cash."
But if Tongye Continent actually had a few intercontinental ferries, Reed Flower Island would be the first choice for a midway port.
Reed Flower Island was too isolated. In cultivation, everyone just went through the motions step by step. In making money, they relied on pearl-diving cultivators who went out to sea.
So the cultivators here actually preferred to collect strange people and interesting stories from outside to chat about. Otherwise, what was the point of cultivating all day? Reed Flower Island couldn't compare to the Rain Dragon Sect—it had never produced any astonishingly talented cultivators.
Today, there was a quarrel that surprised no one.
Two groups of young boys and girls with mediocre cultivation aptitudes were divided into two camps.
They had started arguing about whether a genius sword cultivator of the Rain Dragon Sect could compare to the top geniuses of the Sword Qi Great Wall. The so-called genius meant becoming a Golden Core sword cultivator before age one hundred.
Some said they couldn't be compared, others said they were definitely about the same.
Later, without realizing it, the argument drifted off-topic to what exactly the Sword Qi Great Wall was like.
Some said that every single person at the Sword Qi Great Wall was a hero and a bold spirit, the place with the highest concentration of Sword Immortals under heaven. Apparently, just walking down the street to buy a jug of wine, you'd see them everywhere. A place like that—if you didn't go there once in your life and have a drink, you'd be doing your identity as a cultivator a disservice.
The essence of arguing since ancient times was that everything the other side said was wrong, and even if it was right, you wouldn't admit it. So soon, someone said that the sword cultivators at the Sword Qi Great Wall were all lacking in common sense. They never knew how to do business. Almost all intercontinental ferries could make big money from them. The Rain Dragon Sect, for instance—why were they so wealthy? Wasn't it indirectly from making money off the Sword Qi Great Wall? Another young man sneered, saying that when he grew up, he too would go to Daoxuan Mountain to earn spirit coins from the Sword Qi Great Wall, until those so-called Sword Immortals didn't have a single Snowflake Coin left in their pockets.
An old cultivator passing by laughed and scolded them, saying they only had the ability to argue and should all get lost and go cultivate.
The juniors not only didn't obey, but both sides insisted that this highly respected old cultivator settle the argument.
The old man was famous on Reed Flower Island for his many stories. Combined with his lack of airs, he could chat with anyone. When in a good mood, he would even give out wine, whether you were a little kid or not—everyone could get a drink.
The old man was a Golden Core Earth Immortal, with a seat in the Patriarch Hall. On the island, he owned a lavish private residence covering a vast area. On the street at the foot of Elk Stag Cliff at Daoxuan Mountain, he had even opened a shop in partnership with a mountain friend. He had been to South Basuo Continent, Old Dragon City on Vase Continent, and Skeleton Beach on North Juju Continent. Traveling north and south, he had seen much and gained extensive experience—an old immortal who had weathered all kinds of storms.
So the juniors on Reed Flower Island loved to hear this old immortal tell stories.
Once he got a bit drunk, he would say all sorts of interesting things. He could talk about hundreds of local customs from various parts of the Haoran World—buying spring sleep on the Beginning of Spring, how courtesans in brothels would invite little boys in open-crotch pants to jump on beds to ward off evil, how Confucian academies didn't promote burning paper money, how both Buddhists and Taoists denied that this custom originated from their traditions, and then the arguments would go on for years. The children growing up on Reed Flower Island listened with great longing.
Just the many legendary deeds of Jade Gui Sect's Jiang Shangzhen alone could keep the old cultivator talking for a long time.
The old cultivator actually loved telling stories about Jiang Shangzhen the most, because he always claimed that he and that famous mountaintop man of Tongye Continent had drunk together at the same table.
No one believed him, of course.
Today, the old cultivator was pulled by the juniors and wouldn't be let go. So he muddled through, saying some good things about the Rain Dragon Sect's genius sword cultivator and some good things about the Sword Qi Great Wall, before finally getting some peace and quiet.
The old man walked down a wide mountain path. On both sides were ancient trees reaching to the sky, lush and green. With nothing else to do, the old man fell into his old habit and silently counted the steps. He walked all the way to the shore of Reed Flower Island, where waves crashed continuously as far as the eye could see. In a good mood—the past two years at Elk Stag Cliff had been good for business, earning quite a few Small Heat coins. The key was that the old man felt he had earned this money with a clear conscience. Occasionally, in the dead of night, when his conscience stirred, the old cultivator even thought about donating some spirit coins to the Sword Qi Great Wall. But thinking of such a ridiculous thing could make the old man laugh until his mouth was wide open. "Who do you, Song Sui, think you are, needing you to send such a pittance to the Sword Qi Great Wall? Do you even know any Sword Immortals?"
The old man scratched his head. Somewhat melancholy. If only he, worthless and useless his whole life, could really have drunk with Jiang Shangzhen. That would be fine.
Then in the future, when he boasted to the children, he could thump his chest without any guilt.
The old man looked back up the mountain, hoping things would stay this peaceful—only small worries, no great sorrows.
The old man came back to himself, laughed silently, shook his head, and started climbing the mountain again. He counted the steps once more, walking slowly, not in any hurry.
He recalled a time long ago, as a youth, with a girl with rosy cheeks at his side. The boy wasn't handsome, the girl wasn't really pretty either, but they liked each other. For cultivators, a few steps of walking naturally wasn't tiring, but she would insist on resting every time. The boy would accompany her, sitting together on the halfway steps, gazing into the distance, watching the moon rise over the sea.
The old man stopped, turned to look at the moon over the sea.
People of today see the moon of the past; the moon of today once shone on old friends. It had seen her too.
Suddenly, the old man steadied himself, holding his forehead. He widened his eyes and stared intently at the moonlight on the steps. He felt there had been a momentary strangeness. But looking around, heaven and earth were silent, except for the occasional faint rustle of pine flowers falling.
The old man was meticulous. Although he had never really drunk with Jiang Shangzhen, he had indeed traveled across several continents and seen strange people and extraordinary things. He didn't think this was a trivial matter. He immediately rode the wind to the top of an ancient pine tree. Still, there was no trace of anything amiss. The mountain-protecting formation showed no movement at all. Finally, the old man looked towards a solitary peak on Reed Flower Island that was designated a forbidden area—the Creation Grotto, once famous but now faded into obscurity.
The old man laughed at himself: "If the old immortal inside really has come out of seclusion, that should be a good thing."
The vast sea was even more expansive than the nine continents. Historically, many immortals had quietly left the land, chosen a feng shui treasure spot at sea, and hidden themselves there to cultivate in seclusion, either breaking through realms quietly or dying quietly, all unknown to others.
---
Jade Gui Sect was located at the southern end of Tongye Continent.
With its layered peaks, deep and secluded scenery, and abundant spiritual energy, it was a first-rate cultivation treasure land.
One of its peaks, Divine Seal Peak, had the reputation of being "supreme to heaven."
Moreover, Jade Gui Sect produced talents in abundance, never worrying about a gap between generations. The only worry was that each generation had too many geniuses, and the Patriarch Hall had to figure out how to avoid favoritism.
From the patriarch Xun Yuan, to the slightly younger Jiang Shangzhen, and finally to Wei Ying, the number one of the younger generation.
As for those genius cultivators of similar seniority to Jiang Shangzhen and Wei Ying—if not for being overshadowed by these two—would have had much greater reputations in the mountain world if they were in other sects.
On a peak called Nine Chess Peak, halls and pavilions stretched in a line, immortal qi swirled, and immortal birds circled. It wasn't a small cave heaven, but it surpassed one.
What made this peak so special—constantly drawing spiritual energy from all the other mountain ranges, peaks, streams, and rivers outside Jade Gui Sect's ancestral mountain—was that all the sect masters in Jade Gui Sect's history had cultivated here. Patriarch Xun Yuan was the same; he only moved out after becoming sect master.
It was rumored that when Jiang Shangzhen had just broken into the Golden Core realm, he thought Nine Chess Peak was within easy reach. But then the cooked duck flew away—or rather, the duck didn't fly, but he had no chopsticks. Because he failed to move into Nine Chess Peak, Jiang Shangzhen flew into a rage, said "This place won't keep me, there's always a place that will," and swaggered out of Tongye Continent, going straight to North Juju Continent to stir up trouble and run wild everywhere, giving the entire Jade Gui Sect a terrible reputation in North Juju Continent.
After Xun Yuan moved out of Nine Chess Peak and before Wei Ying came up the mountain, because Jiang Shangzhen hadn't become the peak lord, Nine Chess Peak remained vacant and masterless.
Because everyone knew that whoever could form a golden core and open the peak here was the undisputed next sect master.
Wei Ying, right after he was born and still in swaddling clothes, was carried to Jade Gui Sect. Then at age nineteen, with everyone's expectations, he reasonably and justifiably moved to Nine Chess Peak.
And then Wei Ying liked to stand on Nine Chess Peak from time to time, looking up at Divine Seal Peak, never hiding his gaze.
After all, it was his next cultivation site. As long as he didn't mess things up in the meantime, cultivated peacefully, it would eventually be his. So why hide it?
Today, Wei Ying stood in the corridor on top of a building, again looking up at a certain spot on Divine Seal Peak. This was somewhat different from earlier times.
Beside Wei Ying stood a tall, slender young man. Unlike his father, the young man had ordinary features, very light eyebrows, and a somewhat feminine name. But he had a pair of extremely narrow and long eyes, which gave him a slight resemblance to his father.
Jiang Heng.
But in the Jade Gui Sect Patriarch Hall registry and the Jiang family genealogy, the name had been changed to Jiang Beihai.
Still, those familiar with him habitually called him Jiang Heng.
Being able to call Jiang Beihai by his original name, Jiang Heng, was also a kind of proof of whether one was accomplished among the younger generation of Jade Gui Sect.
Because whether it was Jiang Heng or Jiang Beihai, he was Jiang Shangzhen's only son.
If Wei Ying was the nailed-on next sect master of Jade Gui Sect, then Jiang Heng, logically speaking, couldn't compare to Wei Ying, but at least should be the next master of Cloud Grotto Paradise.
But in recent years, there had been rumors that Jiang Shangzhen, under the alias Zhou Fei in Lotus Grotto Paradise, had fathered another son.
This had kept Jiang Heng in a bad mood for years. He could only endure it, not daring to show even a hint of the thought of sending someone into Lotus Grotto Paradise to kill that little brother.
The reason was simple: the person Jiang Heng feared most was his father, Jiang Shangzhen.
The kind of terror Jiang Shangzhen inspired was well-known to everyone on Tongye Continent, both on the mountains and below. But Jiang Heng's fear of his father went deeper.
Jiang Heng's mother, the direct daughter of a very high-seniority patriarch of Jade Gui Sect, knew her whole life that Jiang Shangzhen had never truly loved her.
But when she was alone with the young Jiang Heng, she would still show a sincere expression of happiness, speaking from her heart to the still-young child, saying that being able to accompany his father was already more than enough.
And when she was about to pass away, Jiang Shangzhen sat beside her sickbed, his expression gentle, gently holding the withered woman's hand, saying nothing.
But it was Jiang Heng's mother who tightly grasped Jiang Shangzhen's hand and then smiled, saying words that made the young Jiang Heng feel like he had fallen into an ice cave: "That woman, I secretly went to see her once. Her hair was white. Even when she was young, she probably wasn't good-looking. Jiang Heng, Jiang Heng. The character Heng. I guessed your thoughts and fulfilled your wish. You won't even say thank you. In all these years, the only thing I've been angry about with you is this."
Jiang Shangzhen extended his other hand, gently patted the back of her hand, and said softly with a smile: "Then do you know that when you were secretly looking at her, I was secretly looking at you? At that time, you seemed to have won everything, that silly and naive look. You looked beautiful."
She nodded and left the world with a smile.
Jiang Heng sat on a chair by the bed, sobbing.
Then Jiang Shangzhen turned his head and laughed: "Crying for your mother until she dies, are you going to cry your father to death too? That's not what a filial son does."
The child was so terrified he immediately sat up straight, not moving a muscle.
Jiang Shangzhen said something to Jiang Heng that he could only remember firmly but couldn't understand: "If you can't be yourself, first learn to deceive yourself. Being Jiang Shangzhen's son isn't that easy."
But aside from that bone-deep fear of his father, Jiang Heng actually lived very well in Jade Gui Sect. It could even be said that besides Wei Ying and a couple of others, no one could match Young Master Jiang.
At this moment, Jiang Heng followed Wei Ying's gaze towards Divine Seal Peak and asked with a smile: "You still can't forget that Sui Youbian?"
Wei Ying shook his head: "Yes and no. I still can't forget her, but it's not some deep infatuation. What makes me angriest is that she would rather die than come to Nine Chess Peak as a guest."
Wei Ying leaned against the railing, no longer looking at Divine Seal Peak, and turned to Jiang Heng, saying softly with a smile: "These women's hearts—Uncle Jiang knows best."
Jiang Heng lay on the railing, not wanting to discuss this topic.
The matter of his name was a joke among many of Jade Gui Sect's old patriarchs.
Compounded by the Lotus Grotto Paradise affair—those who had seats in the Jade Gui Sect Patriarch Hall couldn't outfight or outsmart his father, so they liked to vent on him, Jiang Heng.
After all, those people saw more clearly. They all knew Jiang Shangzhen had never placed any hope in his son Jiang Heng, let alone great expectations.
Jiang Heng changed the subject: "Looking at the aura on Divine Seal Peak, the old patriarch will definitely become a Flying Ascension realm."
Wei Ying smiled and nodded: "So for me to become the next sect master, it's even more distant. It's fine. Jade Gui Sect can only have one sect master, but Tongye Continent can have two or three Flying Ascension cultivators. I wonder which lucky one will be the third. I think that Huang Ting of Taiping Mountain, and that child who left the Fuji Sect for the academy, have relatively greater hope."
Jiang Heng sincerely admired Wei Ying. He could say anything and dared to say anything. This wasn't something he became after entering Nine Chess Peak; even at the start of his cultivation, Wei Ying was already like this.
Jiang Shangzhen never hid his favoritism towards Wei Ying, saying that his own son wasn't like a son, but fortunately there was Wei Ying, who was more like his son, living on Nine Chess Peak.
Now Jade Gui Sect's situation was excellent, and not limited to just one continent.
In addition to the old patriarch Xun Yuan who would break through to Flying Ascension realm, there was also Jade Gui Sect's subordinate sect, True Realm Sect, which had firmly established itself at the Book Scribbling Lake on Vase Continent.
Furthermore, Tongye Sect, Taiping Mountain, and Fuji Sect had suffered severe setbacks. There was even talk within those sects now: if Jade Gui Sect wanted to go north, even if the three sects allied, they couldn't stop it. On the entire continent, both on the mountains and below, all would become their vassals. Even more shocking than the Great Li Dynasty on Vase Continent having the entire continent as its territory.
Jade Gui Sect had been the second-ranked sect on Tongye Continent for several thousand years. Then, without doing anything, it became the leader among the sects. And looking ahead several thousand years, it seemed Jade Gui Sect could continue doing nothing and still firmly hold the top spot.
Old Patriarch Xun Yuan of Jade Gui Sect must be laughing in his dreams, right?
Really, Tongye Sect had been hit by a streak of extreme bad luck. No one could blame others for gloating.
First, the Flying Ascension patriarch Du Mao died inexplicably. Not only did he die, but he also implicated a small cave heaven. Du Mao couldn't even leave all the fragments of his glazed golden body to his own sect after his death. Add to that the sword immortal Zuo You's precision strikes, which had far-reaching effects, damaging the Dao hearts of almost all Tongye Sect's cultivators, only to varying degrees. Then came Jiang Shangzhen of Jade Gui Sect, who threw a grand banquet on the sea of clouds at the edge of Tongye Sect's territory. In the past, when Du Mao, the revival patriarch, was still alive, there would have been no need for Du Mao to act personally; Xiao You alone would have had Jiang Shangzhen fleeing in panic.
Then one of their Upper Five Realm patriarchs defected, taking a sect treasure with him to Jade Gui Sect. Later, he accompanied Jiang Shangzhen to Vase Continent to establish the subordinate sect, expanding territory. But in recent years, there was no news of this person—apparently he had gone into seclusion.
Wei Ying suddenly said: "Earlier, we mentioned Huang Ting. In my opinion, her fortune is somewhat regrettable. She's confined to one continent. If the sword cultivators of Tongye Continent had less of a frog-at-the-bottom-of-a-well mentality and were willing to visit the Sword Qi Great Wall more often, even if Tongye Continent was destined never to become North Juju Continent, they should have gathered the qi luck of one or two Sword Immortals of the Immortal realm by now. If I had any authority, from today onward, I would send sword cultivators to Daoxuan Mountain. The mountain is deep and the dew heavy; every time they descend the mountain, they can return with some dew on their clothes. Ants moving their nests—year after year, the sword qi luck of Tongye Continent would naturally accumulate and become abundant. Of course, these traveling sword cultivators must be kept in the dark, because only with sincerity can things succeed."
Wei Ying said helplessly: "If she had stayed at Jade Gui Sect, I would have been willing to compete with her, Huang Ting, on the path of the sword."
Jiang Heng didn't know whether Wei Ying had figured out the matter of qi luck on his own or if Patriarch Xun had revealed heavenly secrets. But naturally, Jiang Heng wouldn't ask. If he already knew the matter, why ask more?
As for that woman of unknown origin who had come to Jade Gui Sect, and why Wei Ying thought highly of her, Jiang Heng didn't care.
Finally, Wei Ying said slowly: "Extreme misfortune leads to good fortune; the full moon must wane. This cannot be ignored."
Jiang Heng looked into the distance and said lazily with a smile: "I'm just someone waiting for death, a pure waste. Leave all those grand plans to Brother Ying to think about."
"An old horse at the frontier, once the reins are untied, just wants to sleep. There's no strength left to bear the whip."
Wei Ying smiled. Straining his eyes, he looked into the distance: "What a scene of declining spirits—a thousand graves and ten thousand tombs."
Jiang Heng listened to these strange words and just subconsciously remembered them.
His thoughts drifted far away. In earlier years, traveling to Daoxuan Mountain: Madame Gui of Osmanthus Island, the sword strike from Old Dragon City's clouds, the plum blossom garden at Daoxuan Mountain...
That distant journey, Jiang Heng had been determined to succeed. He wanted to own Tongye Continent's first intercontinental ferry, opening a new source of wealth for the Jiang clan. The money wasn't a lot, but it had prestige. It should at least make that man who seemed forever shrouded in clouds take a proper look at him, his son, for once.
But everything went wrong. Not only did the secret plan fail, but after arriving at Daoxuan Mountain and returning to Jade Gui Sect not long after, there came that disgusting rumor: that he, Jiang Heng, had just taken a trip far away, and when he came home, he inexplicably had a little brother?
Today, Jiang Heng rode the wind away from Nine Chess Peak and returned to his own residence—still that old house where his mother had lived.
Jiang Heng sat on the threshold of a room, turned to look inside where no one was, and choked up: "Mother, Father was lying to you. At that time, Father was still in Cloud Grotto Paradise. How could he have been watching you? Did you know that at all?..."
Finally, Jiang Heng looked up and murmured: "Mother, you were so clever and refined. How could you possibly not know? You were always like this, always keeping that heartless and ungrateful bastard closest to your heart. Mother, wait for me. One day, I'll make him apologize to you in person. I can definitely do it. From that day on, I won't be Jiang Heng anymore. I'll be Jiang Beihai..."
Suddenly, a voice that was both extremely familiar and fear-inducing to the bone sounded nearby: "Good son, badmouthing your own father like that isn't filial. You can die from that."
Jiang Heng's whole body tensed. He turned stiffly and looked at the man with a smile on his face.
The man sighed: "Finally got a chance to come home, and I get a earful from my eldest son. Good thing I'm heartless and cold-blooded; otherwise, my Dao heart would directly shatter and I'd drop several realms."
Jiang Heng staggered to his feet, his face ashen.
The man looked at Jiang Heng for a moment, then smiled and nodded: "A bit stupid, sure—you take after your mother. But at least you're still human, which also comes from her. Actually, that's a good thing. A fool has fool's luck. Very good. But we still have to follow the family rules. Today, I won't bother with you. You've grown up this big, and I, your father, haven't taught you anything, so I can't scold you for anything either. From now on, remember one sentence: Even if the father is unkind, the son must be filial. And strive for brotherly harmony. Don't make me worry."
With a mind full of mush, Jiang Heng could only nod woodenly.
Jiang Shangzhen turned and left, clicking his tongue: "How did I produce such an ugly brat? One more glance and I'm annoyed. You really let your parents down. Next time you see me, lower your head when you speak."
Only then did Jiang Heng dare to wipe the sweat and tears from his face, feeling like a different world—like he had walked through the gates of hell.
Those words the man said today, if outsiders heard them, they might pity Jiang Heng's situation. But in fact, compared to what the man usually said, these were actually kind words.
Jiang Shangzhen left this residence and went straight to the Patriarch Hall on Divine Seal Peak to welcome the old patriarch out of seclusion, having successfully broken through to the Flying Ascension realm.
Whether in terms of realm or status, Wei Ying should have had a place in this Patriarch Hall, and it wouldn't have been at the back. But Nine Chess Peak was too special, and thus had no seat.
A stubborn ancestral rule, with no room for argument. In sect-head immortal clans, ancestral laws were always greater than heaven.
Entering the hall, Jiang Shangzhen, whose mood had been spoiled a bit by Jiang Heng, immediately improved a few notches. What he liked about these old chapters wasn't the beautiful words that even the mountain immortals envied, but just the first three characters.
"Our family is poor."
---
If some immortal with nothing better to do chose to start from Reed Flower Island at sea and then go straight east to Tongye Continent, they would land near Fuji Sect.
Fuji Sect's ancestral mountain was called Hanging Robe, perpetually surrounded by seas of clouds.
It had once been equally famous as Taiping Mountain, also located in central Tongye Continent—roughly one east, one west, similar to the north-south confrontation between Tongye Sect and Jade Gui Sect.
Fuji Sect was proficient in "Immortal Questions and Answers, All True Ones Descend to Confer." Although it was a Daoist immortal mansion, it wasn't among the three lineages of the White Jade Capital in the Azure World. It was similar to the Dragon Tiger Mountain in the Central Continent or the Great Xuan Capital Temple in the Azure World.
But before the great catastrophe that nearly engulfed the entire Tongye Continent, setting aside true foundations, just in terms of reputation, Fuji Sect slightly surpassed Taiping Mountain. The two sides had long-standing grievances. After two great demon disturbances in succession, one severely wounded Fuji Sect, and the other left Taiping Mountain with its vitality greatly impaired. Taiping Mountain and Fuji Sect, sharing difficulties, naturally set aside past grievances and became allies. Their cultivators went down the mountain and fought side by side for many years. Now their relationship had greatly improved.
Late tonight, a young man and woman climbed up to the long-sealed Fuji Sect.
Before the sealing, Fuji Sect had relocated the Cry to Heaven Street, which was halfway up the mountain, to the foot of the mountain. This extremely prosperous street had obviously become a sore spot for Fuji Sect's sect master, Ji Hai. Because one more glance would remind him of his Dao companion, who had built this street with her own hands.
On Cry to Heaven Street, a young man in a Confucian robe bought some small items, but nothing that cost more than ten Snowflake Coins.
Beside the man was an extremely beautiful sword-carrying woman. No one dared to cause trouble. The reason was simple: that sword was a Taiping Mountain style.
And there was only one such beautiful female Daoist from Taiping Mountain—the extremely fortunate, continent-topping Nascent Soul Sword Immortal, Huang Ting.
It was said that even He Xiaoliang of Shengao Sect on Vase Continent, now the sect master of Qingliang Sect on North Juju Continent, had once been hailed as "the second Huang Ting" in terms of fortune.
As for the man beside Huang Ting, looking like a down-and-out scholar, it was Zhong Kui, who had lost his Confucian gentleman status.
As for being an accountant, Chen Ping'an had actually learned it first from Zhong Kui.
Zhong Kui walked sideways, saying with a smile: "A person like me, neither human nor ghost, having lost my Confucian student status—I'm certainly not a Fuji Sect direct disciple. To learn the unique secret arts from Sect Master Ji Hai, relying solely on my teacher's face probably won't do. I'm Chen Ping'an's close friend, and you have a good relationship with Chen Ping'an too. So we're doubly connected. You have to say a few good words for me, or it won't make sense."
Huang Ting had just returned from a journey to North Juju Continent not long ago. She hadn't been able to break through the Nascent Soul bottleneck in one go. After returning to Taiping Mountain, she said she was in seclusion, but really she just didn't want to see people.
On her journey south, when passing through Vase Continent, she had made a special trip to the Great Li Dynasty, wanting to see that ugly little dark charcoal girl and see how her sword and saber techniques were progressing. Unexpectedly, the little girl wasn't on the mountain. Instead, there were two men with improper intentions who warmly insisted on keeping her. The older one wanted to trick her into becoming a guest elder; the other was practically drooling, no different from a street thug.
Huang Ting wasn't in the mood to joke around with Zhong Kui. This time she came out of the mountain because the mountain master had kicked her out, forcing her to accompany Zhong Kui on this trip to Hanging Robe Mountain. So she got down to business: "I have a secret letter from the mountain master. It should help. Other than that, I won't get involved. If Ji Hai doesn't agree, I'm out of ideas. You're on your own."
Zhong Kui was deeply worried.
Huang Ting couldn't understand it. If the matter was important, he should have been more serious earlier. How could he only start taking it seriously when they arrived at Hanging Robe Mountain? Earlier, at the foot of the mountain on Cry to Heaven Street, this former academy gentleman Zhong Kui had been quite skilled at haggling, not caring about saving face at all. Even Huang Ting, who had walked the jianghu below the mountains many times, felt inferior. But Zhong Kui—she didn't like dealing with him, but that was one thing; her impression of him was quite another. During the battle at Taiping Mountain, if Zhong Kui hadn't anticipated the enemy's moves and turned the tide, Huang Ting, who felt guilty towards her sect, would probably have died of frustration and humiliation.
Along the way, Zhong Kui walked and stopped, chatting for a long time with water ghosts and water immortals by rivers and lakes, and chatting with wild ghosts wandering among graves about trivial old histories. Huang Ting just let him be. If he wasn't in a hurry, she, an outsider, certainly wasn't.
At the time, Zhong Kui even had a reason. After bidding farewell to a ghostly old man with whom he had almost sworn brotherhood, he told Huang Ting: "If the old don't tell tales, the young don't know history. That's what Chen Ping'an used to say to me."
The silent Huang Ting rarely retorted: "Does Chen Ping'an also tell people about your ramblings?"
Zhong Kui complained: "You sword immortals—when you draw your swords, you kill; when you open your mouths, you hurt feelings."
The two slowly climbed the mountain. Ji Hai hadn't appeared yet—a bad sign.
Although neither was a leading figure on Tongye Continent, Ji Hai had always been proper in his dealings with others, not the type to put on airs. Huang Ting wasn't one to belittle herself. Even if she came alone to visit Fuji Sect, according to common courtesy, Ji Hai should have appeared at the mountain gate or at least at the top of the mountain path by now.
Zhong Kui still wasn't in a hurry. He said: "I heard that Liu Jinglong from North Juju Continent, the one you fought with at Dili Mountain, has not only become a Sword Immortal, but his three subsequent sword challenges were very exciting."
Huang Ting nodded: "That fussbudget—what's so strange about him becoming a Sword Immortal? My Nascent Soul bottleneck is bigger and higher, so I'll be a bit slower than him. For cultivators, a few years sooner or later don't matter. Compared to the two higher-ranked ones, Lin Su and Xu Xuan, I think Liu Jinglong's Dao achievements will be greater. Of course, that's just my personal opinion."
Zhong Kui got interested and asked quietly: "On this journey to North Juju Continent, didn't anyone fall in love with you at first sight?"
Huang Ting didn't mind such topics: "Plenty. At Skeleton Beach's Ghost Realm Valley, there was a cultivator from the Hemp-Clad Sect. Very nice person. I was even thinking of introducing my junior sister to him."
Zhong Kui wailed: "Is there anything more devastating for a man to hear than a woman saying 'You're a nice person'? Miss Huang, Fairy Huang, please never say that again. Even being mute would be better."
Huang Ting couldn't be bothered to speak anymore.
Zhong Kui looked towards the west. Hanging Robe Mountain faced the sea.
Zhong Kui muttered to himself: "I really want to go to the Sword Qi Great Wall and see it. My teacher won't allow it."
Huang Ting glanced at Zhong Kui.
Zhong Kui smiled bitterly: "I'm not like you. I'm a sword cultivator, everything follows the heart. Scholars have many rules."
Huang Ting smiled: "You don't even have the gentleman title anymore, not even a Confucian student. Yet you still stubbornly hold onto the identity of a scholar. Hmm, you really are stubbornly holding on."
One thing about Zhong Kui was excellent: he could take a joke. Even pouring salt on his wounds didn't bother him.
Zhong Kui tugged at his collar and shook his sleeves: "When a scholar's own interests are harmed but he can still maintain a normal heart, that counts as minor accomplishment in self-cultivation. If he can't, then he's a hypocrite. Right now, I'm in a state of righteous grandeur. Back then, that kid Chen Ping'an was so intimidated by this imposing righteous grandeur of mine that he was utterly convinced, pestering me to swear brotherhood. I didn't agree because I thought he had too little ink in his belly to write poems."
Huang Ting said: "My eyes aren't blind. I can't see it."
Zhong Kui looked up at the summit of Hanging Robe Mountain, feeling somewhat sad.
Legend had it that in early years, a high person passing by here had given Ji Hai an unlucky prophecy.
"At sunrise, carrying firewood across the great rush; after rain, wearing a straw cloak, hard to smile. Skin like lard, hands like reed shoots, not lasting; the world's rare beauties hard to keep."
Zhong Kui didn't really believe in fate.
Even though he himself was also a person burdened with a prophecy.
Zhong Kui just didn't like it.
But it seemed he had no choice but to accept.
This made Zhong Kui even more worried.
He wondered how the inn business of Ninth Lady was doing, now that they had lost him, the pillar of the accounting room. Who would write the Spring Festival couplets in the future?
But apparently, that pretty girl named Yao Jinzhi from Daquan Dynasty was quite skilled.
She also had nursery rhymes and prophecies attached to her—whether they were blessings or curses, it was hard to say for now.
Thinking of these things, Zhong Kui suddenly turned his head and said: "Miss Huang, Taiping Mountain was the first to be not peaceful. You guys have such good names but don't take responsibility. With the world so chaotic now, shouldn't you be blamed?"
Huang Ting laughed: "Looking to get chopped?"
Zhong Kui grinned cheekily: "If the sword immortal lady could chop me, a dead man, back to life, then chop away."
Huang Ting's expression turned serious, and she asked softly: "Don't you resent fate?"
Zhong Kui shook his head: "If I get it, it's my fortune; if I lose it, it's my fate. Life and death are the same."
---
After Du Mao's rise, Tongye Sect had never been so hard-pressed before.
If not for the sect master's sacrifice of his Dao path's summit, using heterodox techniques to break through the bottleneck and become a Sword Immortal of the Immortal realm, coupled with the mountain-protecting formation "Parasol Tree Heaven Umbrella" still intact, Tongye Sect's situation over the past few years would have been even more difficult.
The law-enforcing patriarch had defected with a heavy treasure. People's hearts were unstable. Guest elders scattered. The vast Tongye Sect's territory was still there, but there weren't enough people.
It wasn't that Tongye Sect lacked cultivation seedlings. On the contrary, they had an abundance of excellent seedlings. But most hadn't truly grown yet.
And Tongye Sect's consistently domineering behavior over the previous millennia—things that were once taken for granted, that all other immortal forces, from top to bottom, were accustomed to, even actively helping Tongye Sect accumulate reserves in exchange for a bit of connection—those were gone. Things like a Tongye Sect Earth Immortal visiting someone's mountain, showing up at a ceremony to lend face; or young Tongye Sect cultivators on training journeys taking along sect cultivators, where beatings and scoldings were allowed as long as they didn't accidentally break the cultivator's Great Dao Longevity Bridge. If an accident did happen, Tongye Sect would pay some compensation as a gesture, which was fine—at least they saved a bit of face for that sect. Or being given a seat at a Tongye Sect peak-opening ceremony, not expecting a spot on the ancestral mountain, just a place on a distant peak to watch the bigwigs of Tongye Sect from afar, then returning to their own mountains with a very useful tiger-skin banner.
But all these things that both inside and outside Tongye Sect had been extremely accustomed to had become the most criticized aspects of Tongye Sect. Not just criticism—many small moves had become increasingly excessive. Some sects slightly farther from Tongye Sect with sufficiently deep foundations were almost openly poaching talent. Tongye Sect's many lower-tier guest elders were quickly carved up.
So the sect master of Tongye Sect, even after breaking into the Immortal realm, still felt extremely weary.
The various mountain and river gods, who had once groveled at their feet, had secretly formed alliances and even dared to start bargaining with Tongye Sect.
Many dynasties below the mountains, which would have previously proactively offered cultivation seedlings to Tongye Sect, had also developed other ideas. They would take detours, taking their children first to Fuji Sect or Taiping Mountain to see if the immortal masters there would take them.
To be fair, Tongye Sect had done many things that couldn't be faulted. They had extended grace to others many times. The sect's beneficence, like rain and dew, had blessed thousands of miles of mountains and rivers—that wasn't entirely flattery.
But unfortunately, which cultivator on Tongye Continent now was willing to mention that?
A man in purple robes stood by a river within the sect's territory. This was a place where the sword immortal Zuo You had briefly stayed.