Chapter 636: How Many Little Fish in the Green Water
Jiashen Tent, not a sword cultivator but leader of them, Muji.
Liu Cha's sole disciple, Bei Qie. Tuoyue Mountain's closed-door disciple, Li Zhen. Yu Si. Sha Tan. Female sword cultivator, Liu Bai.
A group of them appeared at the southernmost end of that battlefield where the two sides had crossed swords. Yu Si crouched down, pinched up a small clod of soil with two fingers, gently ground it to dust, clapped her hands, and stood up. "The ebb and flow of sword intent on both sides, the degree of transformation—it's about what we expected. That's the only good thing left."
Liu Bai frowned. "Why, when it's clearly a trap, do we still jump in? Besides, it's not just us in Jiashen Tent who think something's wrong. The First Marshal Tent over there is ignoring it too. What's that all about? Our earthly immortal sword cultivators are clearly being targeted. How many have died already? As of yesterday, it's nine, right? So how many more battle merits are we supposed to send to the Sword Qi Great Wall? This is war—how can we be so stubborn about saving face that we suffer for it? Muji, what's really going on? You haven't said much since you got back. If you got mistreated over there, don't hold back. Li Zhen, Bei Qie, and I can each speak to our own masters."
She was one of Zhou Mi's direct disciples. Having studied under that gentleman hailed as the "Sea of Learning," she was well-versed in military strategy and accustomed to meticulous calculations and interlocking plans.
Yu Si added, "Muji, don't keep it bottled up alone. There's nothing you can't tell us here."
Muji said, "The First Marshal Tent didn't give specific reasons either. They only said that after the sword-crossing, including the two seniors Yang Zhi and Huang Luan, who are making amends through merit, they would take the heads of sword immortals intercepted from the rear and toss them at the Sword Qi Great Wall as return gifts for the sword-crossing."
Liu Bai fumed, "What return gifts?! Do you mean to say that if the earthly immortal sword cultivators hadn't died in vain, those hidden sword immortals' heads wouldn't have been obtained? They're completely different things!"
Muji sighed. "Yeah. I don't get it either. I don't understand why so many of our sword cultivators have to die here, as if dying is mandatory."
Sha Tan laughed. "What's done is done. What else can we do? At worst, we just stare blankly and watch."
On the battlefield far ahead.
A sword immortal from the Barren Wastes manifested a hundred-zhang true body, stood alone on the battlefield, holding a sword with both hands, and drove it into the ground.
Above the waterfall of the Sword Qi Great Wall's sword formation, the sky canopy immediately dropped hundreds of crimson lightning bolts, as if an angry god were wielding a lightning whip, smashing wildly at the earth.
The sword immortals of the Sword Qi Great Wall responded accordingly, intercepting the lightning with their sea of sword qi to prevent it from falling on the sword formation and harming the middle-five-realm sword cultivators.
A slender female sword immortal from their side, carrying no sword, merely spun her wide sleeves. Within a radius of several li, sword qi condensed into thousands of flying swords, shooting toward the majestic Sword Qi Great Wall's sword array that seemed to descend from the sky.
On the city wall, the great sword immortal Yue Qing faced her with one of his two natal flying swords, "Skylark," in the sky.
Amid the flood of treasures from the demon tribe cultivators and this sword-crossing—two great battles—several originally obscure cultivators from the Barren Wastes seemed to have emerged in response to the times.
One demon tribe cultivator who wasn't originally a sword cultivator, merely a Cave Dwelling realm Qi refiner, after drawing his sword—which had previously only been padding against their own sword array—unexpectedly and unintentionally obtained two ancient sword intents from the Sword Qi Great Wall, and of extremely high rank. This youth was destined to join the ranks of the Hundred Sword Immortals, with abundant resources poured into him. Perhaps when he reached the Grand Mystery World, he would be a seed for sword cultivation with the potential to found a sect.
A Golden Core realm sword cultivator, whose original natal flying sword had been considered a chicken rib, achieved unbelievable battle merits. Twice he caused two enemy sword immortals to pour their full strength into their strikes, not only saving two earthly immortal sword cultivators but also making the enemy sword immortals' flying sword abilities inexplicably crash into the Sword Qi Great Wall's sword formation. On the Sword Qi Great Wall side, just among Golden Core sword cultivators, two were lost instantly each time. Below earthly immortal, middle-five-realm sword cultivators and their natal flying swords were heavily damaged en masse, forcing them to withdraw directly from the battlefield.
This Golden Core sword cultivator was immediately ordered out of the battlefield. Afterward, with the help of a Flying Ascension realm senior who used an illusion technique, he was repeatedly placed back on the battlefield, specifically targeting the full-force strikes of the enemy's great sword immortals.
As for how a Golden Core sword cultivator could foretell when a sword immortal would strike—besides the First Marshal Tent knowing the truth, tents like Jiashen had no authority to inquire.
Furthermore, a pair of Nascent Soul realm sword cultivator spouses broke through to the upper five realms during the great battle.
Without these "glittering embellishments," the Barren Wastes' sword cultivators' sword-crossing would have been a joke.
Because the rate of attrition among the Sword Qi Great Wall's sword cultivators differed significantly from the extrapolations of various tents—it was much slower than expected.
Muji said, "War is ultimately a matter of people and money. Our sword cultivator attrition is lower than expected—just lower, not zero. Next comes divine immortal money. Actually, that's even more critical than sword cultivators. Right now, the Sword Qi Great Wall's sword cultivators' spiritual qi, bit by bit, is mostly starting to show signs of drying up. The spiritual qi on the battlefield is so turbid that neither side can absorb it. But we have the entire Barren Wastes at our backs, and with two seniors pulling with great divine abilities, two streams of spiritual qi converge like rivers, flowing here incessantly. But behind that city wall, how much territory is there? How much spiritual qi can accumulate? The longer the war drags on, how many full-force strikes can the sword immortals sustain? Tent Yiwu calculated this accurately long ago. If there are no surprises, the current sword cultivators of the Sword Qi Great Wall are just dying slowly; when the time comes, they'll die fast and in droves."
Yu Si laughed. "It's even possible they'll just drain themselves to death, dying without a sound. Even if they send out their flying swords, they might not be able to recall them."
Liu Bai said grimly, "That's assuming no surprises! That the Sword Qi Great Wall has no unexpected source of spiritual qi! But how many surprises has this war brought us?!"
Muji nodded. "Let's calculate roughly. Among the eight continent ferry boats of the Grand Mystery World, we won't speak of Beiju Continent—they might even dig up half their continent's resources. Fortunately, that's something only Beiju Continent would do. Tongye Continent has no ferry boats. The closest to Daoxuan Mountain are South Pósuō Continent and Southwest Fuyao Continent. Fuyao Continent's ferry boats are led by Shanshui Cave. There are old grudges; they won't be easy to deal with. They might even be helping us right now. As for Pósuō Continent, they don't dare be too accommodating. Even if the shipmasters lose their minds and want to do everything they can to help the Sword Qi Great Wall, they have to consider whether their sects and mountain strongholds would dare to agree."
Muji paused and then laughed. "Fortunately, the Sword Qi Great Wall has never been good at dealing with the Grand Mystery World."
Liu Bai was used to saying the opposite. "What if? What if someone from the Sword Qi Great Wall could persuade the eight continent ferry boats to supply the Sword Qi Great Wall en masse?!"
Sha Tan looked up at the Sword Qi Great Wall and sneered, "Persuade them how? By the face of a sword immortal? How did well-meaning people who could earn big money but didn't become ferry boat bosses? How did they do business at Daoxuan Mountain? Would they have to have sword immortals personally deliver divine immortal money? Well, coincidentally, the Sword Qi Great Wall is most lacking in the purest divine immortal money."
Muji looked up at the city wall. "If I have the chance, I'd really like to meet that person, sit on that city wall with him, and review everything."
Li Zhen said, "That depends on whether he lives to see that day."
Liu Bai had a flash of insight and was about to speak.
Muji seemed to guess her thought and shook his head. "Naturally, surprises must be corrected with surprises. At Daoxuan Mountain, some existences won't just watch from the sidelines forever."
---
Mi Yu had built a snowman and secretly picked some flowers and leaves from the garden, dressing the snowman girl in a floral outfit, the colors and style exactly as she had looked when he first saw her back then.
He came to the main hall and saw the young Hidden Officer crouching on the ground examining a table. Mi Yu stepped over the threshold, leaned against a small desk, and asked curiously, "Hidden Officer, is this four-immortal table actually a valuable treasure with hidden secrets? Planning to move it to the Summer Palace?"
Chen Ping'an stood up. "Let's take a walk."
Mi Yu straightened up and glanced again at the four-immortal table. It didn't seem that valuable after all.
As one of Daoxuan Mountain's four great private residences, Chunfan Study occupied a massive area, with covered corridors, ancient trees towering to the sky, and was especially renowned for its strange rockeries and extraordinary stones. Waterfalls and flowing springs complemented the lush flowers and trees. Chen Ping'an and Mi Yu walked along a stone-paved path, the air thick with moisture and vibrant spiritual qi.
Mi Yu asked, "Hidden Officer, allow me to say a few more pointless words. It tastes especially good to firmly guard your own rice bowl while snatching food from others' bowls. But those people aren't ordinary folk. Even if you only give them benefits, they still won't remember the lesson."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "You mean you blame me for making such a big show, summoning so many sword immortals to back us up, and in the end, no one died?"
Mi Yu said, "I wouldn't dare."
Chen Ping'an explained, "Eleven sword immortals descended on Daoxuan Mountain with such heavy killing intent—that can't be faked. To put it bluntly, do sword immortals need to pretend they want to kill? Yet in the end, not a single sword was drawn. Do you believe that?"
Mi Yu said, "I don't believe it."
Chen Ping'an nodded. "So Wu Qiu, Bai Xi, and the others certainly won't believe it either. Don't be fooled by the later discussions. They all looked like merchants back in their abacus-ledger worlds, but they were still worrying about life and death. If you observed many details instead of just focusing on which female shipmasters were pretty or had flaws, you'd easily see the truth I'm talking about."
Mi Yu felt a bit embarrassed.
Habit had become second nature. That was his little world too, but it was nothing compared to the Hidden Officer's deep foresight. Mi Yu's only opponents were the beautiful women of the world.
Chen Ping'an stopped walking and turned to look at the nearby waterside pavilion. "Either kill a few more—Wu Qiu from Central Continent, Jiang Gaotai with the highest cultivation and strength, Bai Xi with the most enmity toward the Sword Qi Great Wall, Liu Shen with the lowest realm and most trivial background. All of them have to die. Only by killing those whom the enemy thinks are least likely to die can we force them into a corner with no retreat—both in situation and in heart."
On the rockery, through the cracks in the thin, wrinkled, lean rocks, small pines and cypresses grew lush and green.
Chen Ping'an sat down on a step. "If the situation doesn't require that, then kill none. Save them. Let them guess for themselves who will be killed. Just give a little hint, and naturally there will be clever people to help me choose whom to kill, and in turn hint to me who can die at the least cost—without Yan Ming or Nalan Caihuan having to pay much compensation, and maybe not even requiring sword immortal Sun Juyuan to apologize. Since they think the Sword Qi Great Wall will definitely kill someone to establish authority, and that some ferry boat people must die to give the 'Hidden Officer' and the sword immortals some explanation, then better a Taoist friend than a poor Taoist."
Chen Ping'an pointed at those gnarled, disease-like pines and cypresses. "In the wild mountains and marshes, they survive. Here, they live just as well."
Mi Yu's mind cleared, and the depression in his heart dissipated like smoke.
But Chen Ping'an said, "Killing isn't fun. Just talking about feelings, I'd gladly kill every single one of those shipmasters in the hall. But if I think it over and single them out, who truly deserves to die? Bai Xi? He's not actually that Shanshui Cave ancestor. Wu Qiu? Why should he die? Jiang Gaotai—if I hadn't stirred things up and he hadn't been too eager to benefit himself and the eight continent ferries, would he have ended up in a death trap?"
Mi Yu was silent for a moment, then sat down beside Chen Ping'an and said solemnly, "Making money from the dead isn't fun either, but they all do it enthusiastically and happily. If I were the Hidden Officer, I'd have struck long ago. Of course, the consequences would be terrible."
Chen Ping'an rarely said something comforting to Mi Yu. "A sword immortal should only do what a sword immortal ought to do. If I remember correctly, at my age you were already a Golden Core sword cultivator. You reached the Nascent Soul realm at sixty-four and broke through the Nascent Soul bottleneck at one hundred ninety-six. In fact, among the many sword immortals, your talent isn't at the bottom; it's toward the front. Excellent talent ensured that Mi Yu would reach the upper five realms that others only dreamed of, but during that process, you turned to do something familiar besides practicing the sword—something you genuinely liked. The result, in outsiders' eyes, wasn't good, but you yourself didn't think there was a problem, except maybe feeling guilty toward your elder brother Mi Hu."
Mi Yu was a bit embarrassed. "Hidden Officer, you can speak frankly. I'm just more interested in love affairs. Flirting with women—I'm better at that than practicing swordsmanship and killing enemies."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "Different lands nurture different people. The Grand Mystery World can't produce so many sword cultivators, but the price is that there has to be an outsider familiar with foreign customs to serve as Hidden Officer. But if I also become distracted and my Dao heart strays further from the word 'purity,' and I keep walking this path, even if I make progress in scheming against hearts, once I put too much effort into this, my future cultivation bottlenecks will only grow bigger. However, I can guarantee that unless there's a major accident, my achievements on the Great Dao—especially in combat skills—should still be higher than yours, Sword Immortal Mi."
Mi Yu nodded. "Realm can't solve everything, but it can solve many things."
Chen Ping'an said, "Realm can solve many things, but realm can't solve everything."
Mi Yu praised, "There's a reason why the Hidden Officer is the Hidden Officer."
Chen Ping'an didn't pick up that thread. He said, "Earlier, Shao Yunyan went along with me and said something that was actually another way of showing his stance. Roughly the opposite of yours—he was advising me not to act impulsively and kill indiscriminately. He spoke very tactfully, but if I didn't take the advice, the next meeting place might change to Shuijing Palace or Lingzhi Studio. Do you think Shao Yunyan, sitting at the main gate, is really just serving as a gatekeeper for our Sword Qi Great Wall? A sword immortal's pride won't be low."
Mi Yu frowned deeply.
Chen Ping'an waved his hand. "No need to be angry at Shao Yunyan for this. As long as what he said makes sense, we should listen. Besides, after this, Shao Yunyan doesn't mind if we use some ruthless methods. I tested him—he accepted. Not only that, but he's willing to personally go and promised to help me find that merchant genius who's an expert at cooking the books. So after all this circling and twisting, I still got the result I wanted."
Mi Yu said softly, "It's been tough."
When he omitted the respectful term "Hidden Officer," it was usually Mi Yu's heartfelt words.
Chen Ping'an stood up. "We can't just hit people with a stick and leave them stunned. We need to give them some real benefits. Otherwise, when they come around, they'll still make some clever little moves. I can handle them, but I can't afford the time."
Returning to the main hall of Chunfan Study, everyone had already taken their seats.
Chen Ping'an sat in the main seat and smiled. "No arguments, no friends. Since we're friends, I do have a small gift for everyone."
Unexpectedly, no one felt relieved. They all held their breath, and many of the older shipmasters even hid their hands in their sleeves, ready to flee at the slightest hint of trouble.
Now that the row of sword immortals opposite wasn't seated, this Hidden Officer was finally going to kill someone?
That young Hidden Officer's mind seemed completely different from ordinary people's—he really would do it!
Chen Ping'an laughed. "It's just a small gift for each of you. No need to sit so formally."
Mi Yu slowly stood up.
Across from him, a few timid shipmasters almost instinctively stood up too, but as soon as their butts left the chairs, they sensed it was inappropriate and quietly sat back down.
Mi Yu placed one hand behind his back and lightly flicked his dharma robe sleeve with the other. Glowing, sword-qi-tinged strange jade plaques flew out, one by one coming to a halt in front of each of the fifty-four eight-continent shipmasters.
Mi Yu moved his mind slightly, with not a ripple of distraction, and instantly all the jade plaques stood upright, rotating slowly, so those fellows across could open their dog eyes and get a good look.
Everyone had already forgotten the skill of a Jade Purity realm sword immortal displaying such divine ability.
Wu Qiu stared intently. It was the most common style of a "no-trouble plaque" in the Grand Mystery World, with no clear front or back. One side was engraved with "Sword Qi Great Wall," and the other with "Grand Mystery World." Next to the words "Sword Qi Great Wall" were small seal script characters reading "Hidden Officer," and even finer fly-head-sized characters forming a number: nine.
Wu Qiu quickly looked elsewhere. Tang Feiqian's plaque had the number twelve, Jiang Gaotai's sixteen.
From Fuyao Continent's ferry boat "Wapen," the manager Bai Xi had the number thirteen on his plaque.
Closest to the main door was "Nishang" shipmaster Liu Shen, with ninety-six.
Chen Ping'an leaned against the four-immortal table.
Mi Yu spoke up. "Don't worry about the size of the number. Everyone's is unique. These jade plaques were personally drawn with talismans and engraved by the Hidden Officer. Each plaque contains the sword qi of two to three sword immortals. Which sword immortals favor which plaque—no one knows except the Hidden Officer. How to figure it out is up to you and your methods. All I can say is that across the entire Grand Mystery World, no one can forge these. In terms of monetary value, they're not much—you big businessmen have seen plenty of good stuff. But as for being priceless—they are rare items that are one of a kind."
Mi Yu emphasized, "In the future, if anyone else wants to get such a plaque, they'll have to see if they have the chance to meet the Hidden Officer in person and be qualified as a guest of Chunfan Study. I can guarantee it will be extremely difficult. And there will only ever be ninety-nine such plaques. No more will be made. So the largest number is ninety-nine. So if anyone later sees a plaque with the number one hundred, take it as a joke."
Shao Yunyan suddenly spoke up with a smile. "I'm a guest too. Why don't I have a plaque? I think the smaller the number, the more honored the guest. I'll take the one with the fly-head number ninety-nine."
Mi Yu didn't dare act on his own and turned to look at Chen Ping'an.
Jiang Gaotai suddenly stood up, cupped his fists, and said solemnly, "Hidden Officer, could I exchange my plaque for the one with number ninety-nine?"
This time, it wasn't that the young Hidden Officer had said anything to him. Jiang Gaotai genuinely hoped to trade the plaque before him for the one with the largest number.
Gambling for small stakes?
Maybe not small.
Jiang Gaotai had always trusted his intuition. At many critical moments on his cultivation path, it was this indescribable, baseless feeling that had earned him his current wealth.
Shao Yunyan smiled. "Shipmaster Jiang, are you trying to snatch this from me? Isn't that a bit unfair? Besides, the smaller the number, the higher the realm of the two or three sword immortals who infused their sword qi into the plaque. Why be so fixated on the size of the number?"
Jiang Gaotai smiled, turned, and cupped his fists again. "I beg Sword Immortal Shao to part with it."
Shao Yunyan shook his head. "This matter is non-negotiable."
Chen Ping'an said, "Consider these plaques as small gambling for pleasure. Bet on which sword immortals' sword qi is contained within. You can trade among yourselves, or keep the one you feel connected to. It's all up to you. However, afterward, you need to register with me which plaque went to whom. Since I'm the one giving the gift, I should at least keep track. Before leaving Chunfan Study, remember to inform Sword Immortal Mi. As for what you do with the plaque after getting it—gift it to your sect or mountain stronghold, keep it yourself, or sell it off as just a jade plaque (it's not worth much anyway)—that's also up to you. But let's not discuss such trivial matters. Let's get back to business."
Mi Yu sat back down.
Shao Yunyan and Jiang Gaotai also sat.
Earlier, on the way there, Mi Yu had felt a bit awkward and asked a question: "Even I find it awkward. Don't those sword immortals find it awkward? Do they know these plaques are going to those bastards?"
"They know. I explained it clearly to every sword immortal."
Chen Ping'an's answer at the time was simple: "Why would they be awkward? In the future, every time someone in the Grand Mystery World sees a plaque, someone will mention the sword immortal's name and deeds—their full name, their realm, what great deeds they did, which great demons they killed. Maybe they'll be even more familiar with it than you are, Mi Yu."
Mi Yu immediately said wryly, "Hidden Officer, I am also a sword immortal. Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"
Chen Ping'an chuckled. "Quite a few of the sword immortals who readily agreed would ask me the same thing to my face: 'Does the plaque contain Sword Immortal Mi's sword qi?' I said no, and they all sighed with relief. What was I supposed to do? Let's face it—you're supposed to be the leading figure of the Hidden Officer faction, the gold-lettered signboard, but you're not exactly well-liked, are you? I tore out the page about you, Mi Yu, from the secondary volume of the A register and put it at the front. Did that help? If you think it helps and makes you feel better, go ahead and tear it out yourself. Put it near the pages for Yue Qing or your brother Mi Hu. I can pretend I didn't see it."
Mi Yu's heart ached as if twisted, the wound deeper than any heartbreak.
He didn't feel awkward anymore.
He only hated that he couldn't be part of it.
At this moment in the main hall, everyone had carefully put away their jade plaques.
Besides treating them as rare treasures, they were also worried that if they tampered with them, the jade plaques along with the sword qi might inexplicably explode. Or that the sword qi in the plaques wouldn't kill them but would expose their whereabouts or let the young Hidden Officer see and hear their every move. After all, every gentleman and worthy from the Confucian academy had a jade plaque at their waist that served exactly that purpose.
Mi Yu was filled with emotion.
He remembered the advice the young Hidden Officer had given him on the way.
"For these merchants, no matter how much you talk about past friendships, whether revisiting old bonds or making grand promises for the future, it's all empty."
"You need to see the big through the small."
"We don't have to explicitly say what benefits they can get from the Sword Qi Great Wall with this plaque. Let them guess for themselves. The answers clever people figure out—whether they're right or not doesn't matter; they'll believe them firmly."
The discussions in the hall became increasingly smooth, and the more disputes laid out on the table weren't necessarily a bad thing.
It went on until dusk, when they paused for a break.
During that time, the various schemes—eight continent ferries conspiring against the Sword Qi Great Wall, one continent's ferries ganging up to target neighbors, ferries within a continent scheming against each other—Mi Yu was genuinely not interested. But duty required him to wade into it, and for the first time, Mi Yu felt that focusing on practicing the sword wasn't really a chore after all.
Everyone dispersed again, returning to their courtyards for secret discussions. In truth, after most of the sword immortals left, conversing with words and hearts in the great hall was secure enough. But having this process still made the intercontinental ferry managers feel much more comfortable, or at least freer. Otherwise, every time they glanced across and saw the empty chairs where the sword immortals had sat, it was a kind of invisible intimidation, hardly pleasant.
Chen Ping'an continued to stroll through Chunfan Study alone, having agreed to meet everyone again in two hours for more discussions.
Sword Immortal Mi Yu, however, had business to attend to.
Because the young Hidden Officer had given Mi Yu two tasks.
At the Summer Palace, facing those all-young sword cultivators, Mi Yu had always felt a bit superfluous. But now that he had arrived at Daoxuan Mountain, the weight on his shoulders was... a lot.
One task was to privately visit the shipmasters and mention the phrase "courtesy calls for reciprocity."
He had to hint to them that this was a private friendship with the Hidden Officer, not the big business between the intercontinental ferries and the Sword Qi Great Wall.
You, Mi Yu, are responsible for collecting the gifts. Yan Ming and Nalan Caihuan are not suitable for this task.
Mi Yu asked about the final destination of these benefits.
Chen Ping'an said bluntly that they would all be handed over to Yan Ming and Nalan Caihuan, but before that, every sword cultivator in the Hidden Officer faction could first pick one item they liked.
Mi Yu then asked curiously, "Do I get a share too?"
Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "Of course. If you really can't help being gallant, the two personal items offered by that female Nascent Soul shipmaster—you can give them back to her. Consider it as you receiving your compensation in advance."
Mi Yu was greatly impressed. The one in the world who understood him best was the Hidden Officer.
The other task was for Mi Yu to find Yan Ming and Nalan Caihuan, the three of them to come up with a resounding name for this Chunfan Study meeting. It had to bring glory to all the shipmasters, making them feel that this meeting was a collective grand event, not something done under duress. At the very least, outsiders shouldn't perceive it that way. More importantly, everyone had to feel that the Chunfan Study meeting was an excellent topic worth talking about. Once a good start was made, even after these merchants left Daoxuan Mountain, all the ferry managers would naturally help spread the word and build momentum. Some small shipmasters who otherwise would have had to hand their jade plaques over to their sects would find a way to keep them as personal treasures.
The Qi refiners of the Grand Mystery World all cared about face. Since that was the case, give it to them. The Sword Qi Great Wall and the Hidden Officer faction wouldn't have to spend a single coin.
A full eleven sword immortals had personally appeared to receive the guests.
However hard it was for the shipmasters inside Chunfan Study, once they left—if both sides had a tacit understanding and skillfully managed it—these shipmasters would earn immense prestige. Everyone would become a part of this colossal beautiful story.
Chen Ping'an was truly just strolling. Along the way, he casually packed a large snowball into his Storage and planned to give it to Guo Zhujiu, since the Sword Qi Great Wall was currently sweltering in the summer heat.
Lingzhi Studio would probably have good business in the next few days.
That was the part for the sects, which could be recorded on account. But it was estimated that everyone would still have to dip into their own pockets and come up with one more decent immortal treasure. Gifts should never be given singly—only pairs bring good fortune.
An hour and a half later, Mi Yu came to find the young Hidden Officer again.
Chen Ping'an teased, "She didn't agree, but she might as well have, letting you gain a bit of favor? In the end, did she look at you with autumn-water eyes, call you names, and tell you to get out? But with your skill, Sword Immortal Mi, I assume you still managed to leave the treasure behind."
Mi Yu said helplessly, "Hidden Officer, if you put even a little attention into women, you'd be formidable. In the end, I left the treasure at the door."
Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment. "I gave you two tasks, so I'll give you one more treasure. When we get back to the Sword Qi Great Wall, pick one and give it to your brother."
Mi Yu started to feel awkward again.
He knew this was the Hidden Officer's good intention. He also knew his brother Mi Hu would be pleased to see that Mi Yu had made some small achievements in the Hidden Officer faction, that at least he wasn't just coasting through life. His brother should be comforted.
But Mi Yu still couldn't bring himself to do it.
In life, there were too many such small things—saying thank you to someone, saying sorry—that just couldn't be done.
As they walked side by side, Chen Ping'an said slowly, "I'm not asking you to deliberately scheme or twist your nature to please your brother. If I did that, I'd be debasing both of you and myself. A person schemes for many things, ultimately to avoid scheming for a few. The reason you feel awkward is that you haven't figured out which is more important—how you think or how your brother Mi Hu thinks. If we're talking about giving and getting back, can you, Mi Yu, ever repay Mi Hu? If Mi Hu hadn't been held back by you, he would have long been a great sword immortal standing shoulder to shoulder with Yue Qing. But now he's only just broken through to the Immortal realm. Why is that? The entire Sword Qi Great Wall knows. I suggest you go see Mi Hu—not to pay him back, because Mi Hu doesn't need you to pay him back. But Mi Yu should use one thing or one sentence to let his brother understand that Mi Yu knows about all the sacrifices his brother made and won't pretend to be ignorant."
At this point, Chen Ping'an didn't want to sound too serious, so he joked, "To be really shameless, when you see Great Sword Immortal Mi Hu, just say straight out: 'Brother, I don't aspire to the Immortal realm in this life, but when it comes to carrying on the Mi family line and having children, we'll definitely be near the top on the Sword Qi Great Wall. There'll be at least a kid or two calling you uncle later.'"
Chen Ping'an concluded, "That's just my opinion as an outsider. What you think, Mi Yu, is still very important."
Mi Yu smiled. "I think... it's not bad. I'll try it when I get back."
After Mi Yu left, Chen Ping'an walked along a stone path where water and mountains complemented each other, separating the rockery from the spring. The path was paved with colorful stones that must have come from some immortal mountain stronghold. Since Chunfan Study rarely had guests, the stones showed little wear, reminding Chen Ping'an of the Jade Ying Cliff at Chunlu Garden in Beiju Continent.
By coincidence, Shao Yunyan was nearby, holding an exquisite porcelain basin and scattering fish bait into the water.
Chen Ping'an walked over and leaned on the railing, watching the fish scramble for food. "How many little fish in the green water."
Shao Yunyan smiled. "Elegant and fitting."
After a moment, Shao Yunyan asked, "Still worried about something?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. "I'm worried that among the ferry managers, there might be some whose sects have already colluded with the Barren Wastes. Even worse, that the collusion runs so deep they'd sacrifice their lives to destroy the Chunfan Study pact. I'm also worried that there are unexpected people at Daoxuan Mountain who might use brute force. No matter which concern comes true, and regardless of the truth, what people will see in the end is someone dying under the sword immortal of the Sword Qi Great Wall. Shipmasters from Fuyao Continent and the Snowy Continent—especially Bai Xi of Shanshui Cave—are more likely to die. Afterward, there will be some disgustingly flimsy excuses, and then panic will set in, and everything we've agreed upon will be void."
Shao Yunyan asked doubtfully, "You've done so much. Even if someone dies like that, there are so many holes—it wouldn't withstand scrutiny. Can it really turn the situation around?"
Chen Ping'an reached out and wiped the snow off the railing. "There's not much logic in people's hearts. Building a table or a stool takes hard work, but smashing it is just a couple of blows. When you scheme against others, you have to be ready to be schemed against."
Then Chen Ping'an smiled and asked, "What if I suppose that someone, regardless of right or wrong, leaves Daoxuan Mountain and blindly butchers those shipmasters without a word? Would any intercontinental ferry dare to dock at Daoxuan Mountain in the future?"
Shao Yunyan's face turned serious. "About this matter—it seems that telling the shipmasters is wrong, and not telling them is also wrong. If we tell them, everyone will avoid harm. If we don't, once it happens, they'll never come again."
Chen Ping'an leaned on the railing. "So it's not that I'm afraid of accidents. I'm afraid that the accident is clearly hiding and skulking. If the other side has enough patience and never strikes, I can only play the waiting game with them."
Shao Yunyan asked, "How do you plan to deal with it?"
Chen Ping'an sighed. "So I need to go meet that Great Heavenly Lord. Hopefully, he won't shut the door in my face."
Shao Yunyan's expression was odd. "I just got news that he has gone into seclusion."
Chen Ping'an rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache starting. He thought for a moment. "Alright. That's as good as making a decision for me. I have the third sword immortal candidate to accompany me to South Pósuō Continent."
It was the female great sword immortal, Lu Zhi.
In fact, her accumulated battle merits were already enough for her to leave the Sword Qi Great Wall.
It seemed she preferred to go wander the Barren Wastes to hone her swordsmanship rather than the Grand Mystery World.
The precondition was that she was willing to leave the Sword Qi Great Wall and take up residence at Daoxuan Mountain.
Otherwise, not even the title of Hidden Officer would work, and even if they brought out the old great sword immortal Chen Qingdu, it would be meaningless.
But even if Lu Zhi agreed, her leaving the Sword Qi Great Wall early would have no small impact.
It really was a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils.
Chen Ping'an lightly tapped the railing and discussed countermeasures with Shao Yunyan.
Should they leak some of the Chunfan Study meeting's content ahead of time, exaggerate it a bit, purposely leave only their Sword Immortal Mi Yu behind, to lure the other side into acting immediately after weighing their options?
Should they notify Xie Songhua, who had already gone to the Jiaolong Trench and Rain Dragon Sect area? Together with Lu Zhi, Mi Yu, Xie Songhua, and Shao Yunyan, if the other side showed up, the higher their realm, the better. Even if it was a Flying Ascension realm great demon, they would have no escape.
Two days later, the young Hidden Officer returned with a full load, having received no shortage of gifts.
Sword Immortal Mi Yu remained at Chunfan Study.
There was no wall in the world that wind couldn't get through.
Overnight, the Chunfan Study meeting set the entire Daoxuan Mountain abuzz.
The gist of it was that the Sword Qi Great Wall and the eight-continent ferry managers had reached an agreement: one side would supply swords, the other side money, to jointly deal with the ongoing Barren Wastes siege.
Mi Yu, Shao Yunyan, and Xie Chunhua were hidden on three ferry boats heading in different directions. Even the three ferry boats themselves didn't know that a sword immortal was "escorting" them.
Southwest Fuyao Continent, South Pósuō Continent, East Baoping Continent.
Lu Zhi, who had quietly arrived at Daoxuan Mountain, took up residence there, ready to respond to any of the traveling sword immortals at any time.
On the Fuyao Continent ferry boat "Wapen," Bai Xi sat in his cabin, frowning. A knock came at the door.
Before the Nascent Soul cultivator could open it, an old man appeared inside the room. After removing his illusion, he turned into a languid young man.
Bai Xi stood up and said solemnly, "I don't know which senior is visiting. What business do you have?"
The young man smiled. "No need to call me senior. My name is Bianjing. I'm a minor sword cultivator from Central Continent. I want to ask you about the detailed proceedings of the Chunfan Study meeting, and then decide whether to go on a killing spree."
Bai Xi remained silent.
The young man's eyes turned pitch black. He wrote a line on the table with his hand and then said hoarsely, "Your Shanshui Cave's ancestor is an old friend of mine. That natal magic treasure of yours—I gave him that opportunity back then. Every 'Wapen' ferry manager should have been told this line before they died. Aren't you curious why every outgoing ferry manager dies within a few years? It's to keep this bizarre little secret. You're the luckiest, born late enough to have the chance to meet me, so you get a huge fortune for nothing. This unbreakable Nascent Soul bottleneck of yours—now that you've met me, I can shatter it easily."
Bai Xi immediately cupped his fists and bowed. "Welcome, Senior!"
"Bianjing" sat down and asked with a smile, "You and the ferry boat haven't been tampered with without your knowledge, have you?"
Bai Xi didn't sit down but remained standing. "The ferry boat has been thoroughly searched. Especially this residence—there's no possibility of tampering. As for that jade plaque, I left it at my private residence at Daoxuan Mountain. All my words and actions have been within reason. I even deliberately complained a few times afterward, just for show for Chunfan Study. That scheming young Hidden Officer not only won't find any traces but will instead become more assured."
Bianjing laughed. "What jade plaque? Young Hidden Officer? Tell me about it."
Bai Xi first explained the general features of the jade plaque, earning a "good idea, pity he is not working for our world" from the "old senior." Then he detailed the proceedings of the Chunfan Study meeting.
Bianjing nodded. "If it succeeds, it'll be a huge problem. Worth my taking the risk to come here."
After saying that, Bianjing laughed loudly. "Held back by this skin, you guessed I was at the Immortal realm just now. That was too low."
Bai Xi cupped his fists again in salute.
A Flying Ascension realm great demon!
Finally, Bai Xi asked cautiously, "Senior, when do you plan to act?"
Bianjing glanced at this ant. Bai Xi braced himself and said, "I beg you, after you strike, to also sink the 'Wapen' ferry boat. Let there be more deaths, it doesn't matter. Otherwise, Shanshui Cave's suspicion will be too great, and it will only hinder your future actions and affect the greater plan."
Bianjing smiled and nodded. "That's good to hear. Since you're so clever, you deserve a great fortune."
On Southeast Tongye Continent, there had been a setup, but it was exposed early, only wounding Fuzong Sect and Taiping Mountain. One of the setups on Southwest Fuyao Continent was this Bianjing, who had originally come from Fuyao Continent but went to wander Central Continent. To fool the state preceptor of the Shaoyuan Dynasty, he worked very hard. Fortunately for him, the young sword cultivator "Bianjing" he had chosen was quite capable himself.
As for South Pósuō Continent, with Chen Chun'an there, it would be suicide to go. There was no setup there.
Bianjing said, "I won't act in a hurry. The risk is too great. For now, I won't touch the scattered ferry boats returning home. When they earn more money next time and leave Daoxuan Mountain again, then they can die happily."
Bai Xi breathed a sigh of relief. That approach was indeed safe.
Otherwise, he was really afraid this senior would rely on his Flying Ascension realm cultivation and just use brute force.
Bianjing said cheerfully, "That young man named Chen Ping'an is smarter than you think. On the 'Nishang' ferry boat, there's a Jade Purity realm sword cultivator hiding. Probably that lapdog Sword Immortal Mi Yu you mentioned. I'm just sightseeing, no rush at all. I'll play with them a little longer. Let's see how good these always-proud sword immortals' patience is. If their patience is really good, I'll just wait a bit longer to strike."
Bianjing's smile faded. He stood up. Bai Xi felt as if his neck was being choked, and he slowly rose from the ground, his feet leaving the floor, his "ascension" gradual before the eyes of a Flying Ascension realm great demon.
Outside the door, a voice Bai Xi was very familiar with seemed to be speaking up for him.
"Don't blame others for your own stupidity."
Bianjing sneered. "Chen Ping'an, you're willing to trade your own life for mine? What were you thinking?!"
Outside the room, a cursing young man tore off the female face-skin on his face.
Beside him stood Lu Zhi, who had not torn off her male face-skin.
In addition, both of them had the personal illusion techniques of the old great sword immortal, Chen Qingdu.
Bianjing asked, "How did you follow?"
The young Hidden Officer smiled. "Just like Shanshui Cave—bet big, win big."
Just as Bianjing was about to move, he instantly froze.
Because an elderly Confucian-robed figure who should have been least likely to be here appeared inside the room.
Bianjing laughed loudly. "Well done! Not enough sword immortals, so you even brought Chen Chun'an!"
The old Confucian said calmly, "My name—is it for you to call?"