Chapter 641: Zhu Lian Has a Fist to Offer

Chapter 641: Zhu Lian Has a Fist to Offer

When Pei Qian arrived at Red Candle Town, she still found it strange. That little Rice Grain actually dared not show up, just idling on the mountain eating melon seeds until her conscience had completely rotted away? When she got back to Luopo Mountain, she definitely had to take Zhou Mili to the Patriarch Hall for punishment. After the punishment, she would help Nuan Shu sweep the courtyard.

But soon, Pei Qian sensed something was wrong. In the distance, a street was noisy, with people buzzing with discussion. Pei Qian's ears were sharp; she flew over and listened for a moment, then tightened her grip on the walking staff in her hand.

Still, she suppressed her temper and didn't immediately set off. She listened a bit more, then lightly tapped the ground with her toes, leaping onto the rooftop ridge. Lifting her head to gaze around, she finally followed the general route described by the passersby, skimming across the rooftops like a dragonfly touching water, and vanished in an instant.

At the edge of Red Candle Town, there was a crescent-shaped river bend. Floating there were some exquisitely decorated pleasure boats, heavily laden with the scent of rouge and powder, housing boatmen's daughters with pitiful backgrounds.

Pei Qian stepped on about four or five boats. With each step, the boat sank steadily for a moment, then abruptly rose, but not so much that the vessel shook too violently.

After crossing the river bend, Pei Qian continued forward. She spotted a little girl in black clothes who had left the water's edge and was walking alone up the mountain.

All along the way, she couldn't be bothered about whether she might attract the attention of certain cultivators or mountain spirits and water demons.

She had to see Little Rice Grain first before she could feel at ease.

A carefree little girl in black clothes wobbled along, humming a little tune, walking through the mountain forest.

Pei Qian lightly landed on a tree branch, but didn't immediately reveal herself. She looked around, furrowed her brow slightly, and pretended not to know. She roughly gauged the situation; it shouldn't be a big problem, after all, that little spirit hiding eighty zhang away was far weaker in cultivation compared to the kind-hearted water god. Pei Qian had been both anxious and angry, but when she saw that Little Rice Grain wandering around with such leisure, even casually grabbing a handful of green leaves to stuff into her mouth, first checking if anyone was around before taking a big bite, Pei Qian was no longer anxious, but even more furious.

Based on what those people were saying earlier, this was no small matter. According to the passersby, Rice Grain had been wandering around the vicinity of Red Candle Town for a long time. Today, she was lying by a riverbank doing who knows what, when she was spotted by a patrol spirit from the Yuye River Water God’s palace. Mistaking her for a minor water spirit not listed on the register, the spirit tried to recruit her to serve at the Yuye River. Zhou Mili refused, and after some back and forth, a conflict arose. The Water God’s side then apparently dredged up some Da Li mountain-and-water laws and regulations, a whole mess of them, which scared Little Rice Grain badly. In the end, she ended up getting beaten up.

Pei Qian knew a bit more about the reason. According to Mountain Lord Wei Bo, Little Rice Grain originally came from Mute Woman Lake in the Northern Juju Continent. Her roots were ultimately those of a water spirit from another continent, which naturally clashed slightly with the water properties of Da Li’s three rivers. Fortunately, she now held the position of Luopo Mountain’s Resident Elder, so the effects were almost negligible. If she wandered around more and absorbed the water energy of various places, she would eventually adapt to local customs, and the water properties of both sides could harmonize. That was why Pei Qian would, from time to time, take Little Rice Grain away from Luopo Mountain to play near Chess Pier Mountain in Red Candle Town, but she never let her get too close to the banks of the three rivers. She always felt it was better to take it slow, go more often, and then later, even if Rice Grain came alone to the Chongdan, Embroidery, or Yuye Rivers, it would be fine.

Pei Qian jostled the little bamboo backpack on her back, sighed, and called out, "Zhou Mili."

The little girl in black turned her head, saw Pei Qian landing on the ground, and beamed widely. She scratched her cheek, then turned her body slightly, trying to face Pei Qian with the cheek that wasn’t swollen and bruised.

But with Pei Qian’s sharp eyes, she immediately noticed the bruises on Zhou Mili’s other cheek. Oh, so that’s why she was walking home so slowly and chewing those leaves randomly. She was trying to hide the fact that she’d been beaten up around here?

Pei Qian didn’t speak.

Zhou Mili blinked her eyes.

The little girl kept one hand tightly clenched and started scratching her head with the other.

Her faint, slightly yellow little eyebrows couldn’t even be furrowed hard, afraid that Pei Qian might think she was feeling too sorry for herself.

Back when they were traveling together in the Northern Juju Continent, that person once said that every little sorrow in childhood is a tiny grain of rice. When you think back on it in old age, you’ll have a big bowl, a huge bowl!

Pei Qian asked, "What happened?"

Zhou Mili thought for a moment. "I was being playful, went to the riverbank, stuck my head in the water to see if there were any fish or shrimp, just to feast my eyes, wouldn’t dare catch any to eat. Then I met a big official from the Yuye River Water God’s Palace. I explained for a long time before he believed I lived in a small town in Huaihuang County. I didn’t mention Luopo Mountain, or Mud Vase Alley. I just made up some other alley name, said I raised chickens and ducks, I had it all straight. Then the big official believed me and let me go home..."

Pei Qian fumed, "Zhou Mili! When someone bullies you like that, why didn’t you use my master’s name?! Your home is Luopo Mountain, and you are the Right Protector of Luopo Mountain!"

The little girl in black said timidly, "Afraid I’d cause him trouble. It wasn’t a big deal anyway. A grain of rice is small, tiny."

Now Pei Qian had grown a bit taller, so she felt a bit shorter.

Zhou Mili opened her hand. It was the last handful of melon seeds. She had brought a whole big bag earlier, and this was all that was left. The little girl said softly, "Pei Qian, want to go home? We can munch seeds on the way."

Pei Qian glared at her.

Zhou Mili scrunched up her face. Now she really was about to cry.

Pei Qian had been away from home for so long, and finally came back, only to scold her the moment they met. That was what truly made the little girl feel wronged.

She had wandered around Chess Pier Mountain and Red Candle Town so many times, just to wait for Pei Qian to come home, so Pei Qian could see her first and have seeds to munch.

Pei Qian rubbed Little Rice Grain’s head and said softly, "Don’t cry, don’t cry."

Then Pei Qian asked Zhou Mili to tell her the whole story in detail.

It took quite a while for the little girl in black, who had a terrible memory, to finally piece it together.

Then Pei Qian said, "Zhou Mili, hear my command!"

Zhou Mili immediately puffed out her chest and stood on tiptoe.

Pei Qian waved her hand grandly. "You go home first, run fast, no dawdling, no wandering. When you get home and see Old Cook, if Lord Wei is on our mountain, you secretly tell Old Cook that I’m buying some things in Red Candle Town before coming home. It’s near the end of the year, I need to stock up on New Year goods. If I’m late, it means I bought too much stuff. You tell Old Cook to come help me carry."

Zhou Mili crouched down. "I’m not stupid. I won’t obey this command today. We go back together or not at all."

Pei Qian said, "On Luopo Mountain, who has the higher rank? Who recommended you to be Right Protector? Zhou Mili!"

The little girl in black crouched on the ground, playing dumb, poking at the dirt and dead leaves with her fingers.

Pei Qian crouched down as well. "I have my master’s decree on me, what’s there to be afraid of?"

Zhou Mili looked up. "What?"

Pei Qian pulled a ball of golden threads from her sleeve. "See this?"

Zhou Mili’s mouth fell open. Then she covered her mouth with both hands and said indistinctly, "Looks powerful and valuable."

Pei Qian stood up. "Hurry back to Luopo Mountain and tell Old Cook what happened. This is called delivering a military dispatch. The responsibility is extremely heavy. Can you handle it?! Do you have the courage to bear it?"

Zhou Mili immediately stood up straight and shouted, "Right Protector receives the command! Departing immediately!"

Pei Qian put away the ball of golden sword intent, but then pulled out a cherished talisman she had kept for years from her sleeve. She slapped it onto Zhou Mili’s forehead. "Talisman overhead, demons and evils flee! Away with you!"

Zhou Mili sped away. Before leaving, she remembered to open her hand.

Pei Qian said with a mix of anger and amusement, "You munch them on the way yourself."

Pei Qian turned around, gripped her walking staff tightly, took a deep breath, and headed straight for the distant Water God’s Palace on the Yuye River.

In the mortal world, one must uphold righteousness!

Having become a mountain or river deity, one should protect the local land and people even more.

Picking on a tiny grain of rice, what kind of skill was that?

The Water God’s shrine was on the opposite bank. After Pei Qian rushed down the mountain, she leaped into the air. Mid-flight, she punched the river water, which lifted her falling body a bit higher, and finally crossed the vast river in a single step.

A young man in black, who ran a bookshop in Red Candle Town, was sitting on a rooftop. After seeing this, the young shopkeeper smiled and said, "This will be interesting."

He was now the River God of the Chongdan River, considered a colleague of the Embroidery River and Yuye River gods.

The three rivers had different water properties. The Embroidery River was broad and calm with the gentlest water. His own Chongdan River had a swift current and the most violent water. The Yuye River had a relatively short course, with capricious water properties and unevenly distributed spiritual energy. The Yuye River Water God’s palace was located where the spiritual energy was richest. That Water God lady was renowned for being good at "playing politics," maintaining smooth relations with everyone.

The shrine’s incense offerings were exceptionally prosperous.

Before Pei Qian could even enter the shrine to reason with them.

An old temple keeper walked out of the shrine, along with a male Water God palace official using shoddy illusion magic. He was a smiling middle-aged man.

The old woman had just received news. One of the Water God’s capable spirits, who had been tracking that little girl earlier, had urgently returned through the water, reporting an extremely unfavorable piece of information.

That little girl in black was actually a spirit from Luopo Mountain, and seemed to be some kind of Resident Elder or Protector.

The old woman didn’t take it seriously. Protector? Resident Elder? Forget about that Luopo Mountain, which no one dared to investigate rashly; even in their own Water God’s palace, wouldn’t a Resident Elder have to be at least at the Golden Core stage? And for Luopo Mountain, so favored by Great Mountain Lord Wei, could their realm be low?

In the territory of the old Lizhu Cave Heaven, Luopo Mountain was a strange existence shrouded in mystery. The young mountain lord, Chen Ping’an, was rumored to have been just a poor orphan from Mud Vase Alley in his early years. But his fortune was too good. First, he got to know the beloved only daughter of Saint Ruan Qiong, then later befriended Wei Bo, who was just a humble Chess Pier Mountain Land God at the time. Meeting these two great benefactors led to his current enviable position of owning over a dozen of the most auspicious locations.

But that the little girl had a registered identity with Luopo Mountain was likely true.

Outsiders only vaguely knew that Luopo Mountain seemed to not care much about the realms of martial artists or cultivators, especially regarding spirits and monsters.

With Great Mountain Lord Wei Bo protecting Luopo Mountain, who would be bored enough to go investigate thoroughly? There were only five such mountain lords in a whole continent, and Wei Bo was now the only Upper Five Realm deity in Vase Bottle Continent! He was even very close to the Emperor himself, a trusted man. Not only the ancestral land of the Da Li Song Clan, but the entire old Da Li territory was considered within the jurisdiction of the Northern Marchmount!

The male Water God palace official clasped his hands in salute and said, "Earlier, I misunderstood that little girl. I mistook her for a wild mountain or water spirit that had wandered into the town. Thinking it was my duty, I interrogated her. Later, a dispute arose. I was indeed rude. I am willing to apologize and make amends to Luopo Mountain."

The old woman also smiled and said, "A mere apology isn’t enough. Later, the Yuye River Water God’s Shrine will offer some compensation. I, this old woman, will personally carry gifts and visit your mountain."

Pei Qian tightly gripped her walking staff, not saying a word.

What should she do?

She felt like something was off.

But she couldn’t figure out what it was.

If only her master were here.

Even if her master wasn’t here, it would be good if her Little Senior Brother were here.

The old woman’s smile was steady.

That man even secretly curled his lips. Getting punished himself and having to pay for gifts out of his own pocket was a certainty. But did this little girl think she could just come here to demand an accounting and make the Yuye River Water God’s Shrine lose face so easily? What the Water God’s palace feared was that lucky young mountain lord and the people behind him: Ruan Xiu and Wei Bo. And this ridiculous little martial artist in front of him… what, was she going to rely on a pair of fists and a walking stick to smash their shrine? If she smashed it, that would be fine. If she did smash the door, then it would be hard to say who would have to apologize and offer compensation next.

Pei Qian had sharp eyes. She saw it.

She was so angry she had to take a deep breath.

The walking staff in her hand trembled slightly. In one of her sleeves, some barely perceptible ripples stirred. Since it wasn’t the spiritual energy fluctuation of a Qi refiner using a divine ability or spell, even the highest-cultivation temple keeper, the old woman, didn’t notice it.

"To hell with your apologies and your amends!"

A streak of green light, with overwhelming momentum, landed directly outside the Water God’s Shrine gate, standing beside Pei Qian.

It was Chen Lingjun, who had completely refined his Dragon King Basket.

Without a word, Chen Lingjun reached out and lifted the Dragon King Basket, which had been personally restored to its original condition by the Fire Dragon Elder of the Northern Juju Continent. The basket suddenly swelled to the size of a mountain, covering the entire Water God’s Shrine.

A Dragon King Basket could freely capture even flood dragons. The old woman and the Water God palace official in front of Chen Lingjun were themselves water immortals and water spirits by birth. With that innate suppression, the old woman could barely keep her body upright, but the male Water God palace official immediately felt his knees go weak, nearly collapsing. The old woman grabbed his shoulder, preventing him from losing all face.

Chen Lingjun said, "Apologize and make amends, huh? I’ll learn from you. I’ll hit you first, then apologize!"

The old woman smiled slightly. "Hitting a little girl was certainly wrong, completely wrong. But once a wrong is committed, what’s wrong with apologizing and making amends? Is this Immortal Master planning to bully others with your power, wanting to use this immortal treasure to suppress our Water God’s Shrine today?"

Chen Lingjun’s face darkened. He nodded. "Yes. After smashing this crappy Water God’s Shrine, I’m heading straight to the Northern Juju Continent. My master can scold me all he wants, but he won’t be able to find me."

Pei Qian suddenly said, "Chen Lingjun, I’m used to being scolded by my master. Let me handle this."

Chen Lingjun was stunned.

How could his master bear to scold this little girl?

Chen Lingjun smiled and said, "Pei Qian, your current realm…"

Before Chen Lingjun could finish.

Pei Qian slammed her walking staff heavily onto the ground. The ball of golden threads in her sleeve, which even Pei Qian couldn’t suppress the aura of, instantly scattered like a waterfall, threads and strands wrapping around the walking staff.

It looked like a golden longsword.

Pei Qian planted the staff like a sword on the ground.

In an instant, the world between heaven and earth was filled with an oppressive sword intent.

Even Chen Lingjun, whose innate physique was exceptionally tough, couldn’t help but move several steps away.

The great sword immortal of Female Sword Immortal Zhou Cheng’s lineage had once said that when one harbors great displeasure in their heart, they should draw their sword.

The old woman panicked and could no longer maintain her earlier calm demeanor, thinking this was a small matter.

The little girl carrying a bamboo backpack in front of her was clearly a sword cultivator.

And possibly even one of those legendary sword immortal seeds!

The temple keeper, the old woman, no longer cared about that low-ranking Water God palace official. She hurriedly activated her water immortal’s innate divine ability, using telepathic ripples to notify the Water God lady in the great river’s Water God palace.

But there was no response.

Because above the Water God’s palace on the river surface, a stooped old man was hovering in midair, hands clasped behind his back. He looked down into the water and said with a smile, "You’ll die."

Pei Qian lifted the walking staff wrapped in strands of golden sword intent. Her eyes shone brilliantly.

She said, "I remember what my master said! Apologizing must first come from sincerity, not from the number of gifts offered. This matter is wrong. The order is wrong. What is sincerity? You don’t need to apologize to Luopo Mountain; you need to apologize to Zhou Mili."

The Chongdan River God put away his hands, a look of helplessness on his face. He couldn’t just let the Yuye River Water God’s Shrine continue digging its own grave like this. He quickly flew over on the wind. If you watch too much fun, you’ll eventually get into trouble yourself. Then it will be your turn to be the source of amusement for others.

But just as he approached the location of the Water God’s palace, the old man smiled and said, "Taking sides unfairly, twisting the truth... you’ll die too."

The River God in black had no choice but to land, sitting on the surface of the Yuye River.

A graceful woman in palace attire emerged from the water. She sneered, "Luopo Mountain comes seeking a fight with martial force against the Yuye River. I will certainly report this to the Da Li Ministry of Rites!"

Zhu Lian pulled out a Da Li Peace Token from his waist, a first-class one. He nodded and smiled. "Alright. I’ll give you that chance. So that your colleague, the Chongdan River God, won’t think you’re just bluffing."

When the Water God lady saw the indisputably genuine first-class Peace Token, her expression changed drastically. She hesitated, then gritted her teeth, ready to lower her head first and then plan her next move. But before she could, a fist was already upon her.

She was punched directly down to the deep bottom of the Yuye River.

Not only did her golden body tremble, but golden blood threads of a mountain-river god began flowing from her seven orifices.

And that short, thin old man exploded with such a majestic aura of fist intent that it was like an immortal’s divine ability to part the waters. He landed directly not far away on the riverbed.

The old man said with a hearty laugh, "Zhu Lian, steward of Luopo Mountain. Today, I ask a fist of the Yuye River Water God’s Palace. My apologies for the intrusion."

The old man stepped back, then began walking forward lightly, his stooped figure bending even lower. He said slowly, "When this old man throws a punch, he only distinguishes between life and death, he doesn’t discuss reason."

Far away on the river surface above the underwater battlefield, the Chongdan River God frowned deeply, his expression solemn.

The martial arts grandmaster at the bottom of the river was no mere Far Traveling Realm.

The old man’s fist intent was so vast that it suddenly overwhelmed the water fortune of the Yuye River.

It was an incredible sense of suppression!

After the fist strike.

The river water was shattered.

The old man reached out and grabbed the neck of a woman in palace attire. Her entire body was dripping with golden blood as she plunged into the rolling river water.

The old man glanced at the Chongdan River God. The latter stood up and said with a bow, "Senior, please go ahead to the Yuye River Water God’s Temple."

The old man laughed. "The bonds of buying and selling books with the River God, that’s not just once or twice. Luopo Mountain remembers them all. I was just bluffing earlier. I hope the River God won’t hold a grudge."

The Chongdan River God smiled wryly and nodded.

Back at the shrine, the temple keeper caught a glimpse of the scene from afar. The old man was flying towards them on the wind, dragging the gravely injured Water God lady by the hand.

The old woman was terrified out of her wits. She quickly activated her meager divine abilities, cast an illusion spell, and immediately closed the shrine’s main doors to prevent the worshippers inside from seeing this.

Earlier, the Water God’s shrine was already in an uproar. It wasn’t as if people were blind; they could all see the suspended Dragon King Basket. The old woman had deliberately not closed the doors, only stopping the worshippers from leaving, wanting them to crowd around the entrance and watch the fun.

After landing, Zhu Lian casually threw the Water God lady at the old woman’s feet. He walked over to stand between Pei Qian and Chen Lingjun, reached out with both hands, pressed down on their heads and laughed. "Good."

Pei Qian slapped Old Cook’s hand away.

Chen Lingjun put away the sky-covering Dragon King Basket.

Zhu Lian walked forward, stepped on the head of the dying Water God lady, looked towards the gate, and said to the old temple keeper with a smile, "You old hag, ugly of face and evil of heart. Why don’t you drag the common folks in to share the danger anymore? Still thinking about ruining Luopo Mountain’s reputation? Useless."

Zhu Lian increased the pressure of his foot, directly stomping most of the Water God’s head into the ground. "Alright, that’s enough. Remember to apologize and make amends. It doesn’t matter if you don’t show up in person; I’ll save a few bowls of tea money. But the immortal money from the Yuye River Water God’s Palace must arrive. Ours is a small mountain, so poor our roof is leaking."

Zhu Lian turned his head and asked, "Do you feel more comfortable this way? Or would you rather leave some leeway for future encounters?"

Pei Qian shook her walking staff and asked, puzzled, "What does that mean?"

Zhu Lian laughed. "You’ll know when your Sister Xiu comes back."

Pei Qian went, "Oh. So we’ll just apologize and be done with it."

Zhu Lian looked down at the Water God lady, who was nearly dead but still willing to play dead. He used sound convergence and said to her with a smile, "You’re really lucky to have run into our Luopo Mountain. You should be secretly laughing at your good fortune. Otherwise, not only this shrine, but whether there would even be a Yuye River in the future is debatable. I’ve taught you a lifesaving method. Figure it out yourself."

Finally, Zhu Lian led Pei Qian and Chen Lingjun away. They walked along the river, leisurely.

Zhu Lian rubbed his wrist and sighed, "Still not satisfying enough. If all mountain and river gods were of this nature, then Yuan Qiang’s way would be the correct one. Good thing they aren’t all like this."

Pei Qian complained, "Fighting and killing, what kind of behavior is that? Old Cook, what did that silly fool Yuan Qiang say? She’s quite tall, but why is her brain always so muddled?"

Zhu Lian smiled. "I’ll tell you when we get home."

Pei Qian struck the disgruntled Chen Lingjun on the head with her staff. Even with just a trace of residual sword intent, she nearly knocked him to the ground, causing him to twitch and convulse.

Chen Lingjun shuddered violently for a while, then finally covered his head and yelled, "Pei Qian! What’s the big idea?!"

Pei Qian was also startled. She quickly apologized, saying the walking staff was acting strange today. Seeing that Chen Lingjun wasn’t angry, he was being magnanimous! Pei Qian laughed heartily. "Chen Lingjun, you handled things really smoothly today. I’ll cross out all those seventy-two entries on my little ledger about you stealing melon seeds. All of them!"

Seventy-two entries...

All over something as trivial as eating melon seeds.

Chen Lingjun winced from the hit, but a smile appeared on his face. "Thank you very much."

Pei Qian bounced up and down. "Going to find Rice Grain to eat melon seeds!"

Zhu Lian said, "Pei Qian, don’t forget."

Pei Qian played with that set of "Demonic Sword Technique," occasionally scaring Chen Lingjun. "I know, I’ll remind Little Rice Grain."

Chen Lingjun said, "Old Cook, I plan to go to the Northern Juju Continent."

Zhu Lian nodded. "Go early, return early."

————

Ruan Qiong returned to Dragon Spring Sword Sect from the Da Li imperial capital, still devoted to the art of sword forging.

Regarding the matter discussed in the Imperial Study, everyone had signed a Sacred Oath. Whoever leaked it would suffer the backlash of the oath, and once the Da Li court learned of it, their entire clan would be exterminated.

Ruan Qiong didn’t care about these things at all. His relationship with the Da Li court had always been that of an ally.

As for the affairs of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect, Ruan Qiong still didn’t bother with anything. All specific matters, big or small, within the sect were left to his direct disciples like Dong Gu and Xu Xiaoqiao to manage.

The social interactions and exchanges with the Da Li court and other mountain sects had also been gradually handed over long ago. After his daughter Ruan Xiu had cultivated at Dragon Spine Mountain for a few years, she quietly went down the mountain and traveled north to the Dragon Spring Sword Sect’s new territory. Fortunately, there was no fighting. She had negotiated matters amicably with that old Central Marchmount Mountain God. This put Ruan Qiong’s mind at ease.

He now had the territory, but no one to manage it. This was the most awkward situation for the Dragon Spring Sword Sect.

For a sect designated by the character "Zong," the number of direct disciples in the Dragon Spring Sword Sect’s Patriarch Hall was far too few.

Even though they had recruited three batches of disciples in succession, each batch was small, so the sect still seemed to have sparse inheritance.

So when the Da Li Song clan handed over the territory of the old Zhu Ying dynasty to Zhengyang Mountain, Ruan Qiong didn’t feel there was anything to complain about. If his own sect lacked the strength to hold onto the fat pieces of meat, and they ended up in someone else’s bowl, then he would just honestly chew on his own pickled vegetables.

Besides, earlier, Da Li had carved out a large piece of land from the old Central Marchmount territory for the Dragon Spring Sword Sect, which served as a preliminary arrangement.

Being close to the imperial capital was a gesture from the young emperor, to prevent court officials from overthinking and mistakenly believing that the Dragon Spring Sword Sect had been sidelined and that Zhengyang Mountain would be the future number one sword sect on Vase Bottle Continent.

Of course, this also helped the Da Li Song clan avoid being suspected of destroying the bridge after crossing the river.

The Da Li court, from the previous emperor to the current one, from the time when Ruan Qiong was stationed at Lizhu Cave Heaven until now, had treated him handsomely in all aspects.

The main reason was that Ruan Qiong himself was unwilling to accept disciples indiscriminately. If their character wasn’t up to par, even if they were a born sword embryo, they could find shelter elsewhere. It didn’t matter to him if they went to Zhengyang Mountain, which was expected to become the next Sword Sect.

Earlier, half of his twelve nominal disciples had left. Among them was that born sword embryo, who was now a direct disciple of Zhengyang Mountain’s Patriarch Hall and was rumored to have been accepted as a closed-door disciple by an ancestor of some mountain peak.

Of course, Ruan Qiong’s good interpersonal relationships were something that even the young emperor Song He had witnessed.

Before the Imperial Study meeting, Qi Zhen of the Divine Declaration Sect, the ancestor of Snow Wind Temple, the Law-Severing sword cultivator of True Martial Mountain, Liu Laocheng of the True Realm Sect, four mountain lords including Wei Bo and Jin Qing, and the head of the Qingfeng City Xu clan, all got along well with Ruan Qiong. They had all taken the initiative to speak with him, or at least greeted him courteously.

This was unique.

Ruan Qiong might not be eloquent, but over time, a cultivator’s true character is hard to hide.

Those who knew Ruan Qiong could find no fault in him, and most were willing to befriend him sincerely. Those who didn’t know him would still say a good word for this number one sword forger of Vase Bottle Continent, if his name happened to come up in conversation.

Today, Ruan Qiong rarely showed himself and called all his first-generation disciples to eat at the same table.

Dong Gu, the senior designated disciple on the Dragon Spring Sword Sect’s Patriarch Hall register. After reaching the Golden Core stage earlier, he had already established his own peak. But his most awkward position was that he was not a sword cultivator, and his background and roots were even more shameful to mention. Nowadays, the Da Li court and some immortal sects were already spreading gossip.

Xu Xiaoqiao was originally a sword cultivator from Snow Wind Temple. After committing a major offense and being expelled from his sect, he found Ruan Qiong, chopped off the thumb of his right hand, the one that held the sword, and became Ruan Qiong’s direct disciple.

Xie Ling was already a sword cultivator who had conceived a natal flying sword. Not only that, besides the immortal weapon gifted by Lu Chen, his ancestor Xie Shi had also bestowed upon this descendant from Peach Leaf Lane two other heavy treasures: a sword immortal’s relic from the Northern Juju Continent named "Peach Leaf," which Xie Ling had refined into one of his natal artifacts, and a sword-raising gourd of extremely high rank called "Full Moon."

The four of them, master and disciples, each sat on a long bench.

Ruan Xiu was still in the old Central Marchmount territory, so Ruan Qiong had no chance to pick food for anyone.

Ruan Qiong said, "Dong Gu, you once told me you aimed to reach the Nascent Soul stage within a hundred years?"

Dong Gu quickly put down his bowl and chopsticks, wiped the corner of his mouth, and said seriously, "Yes, Master."

Ruan Qiong said, "Then don’t let other people’s speed on the path of cultivation affect your own state of mind, forcing yourself to advance to Nascent Soul prematurely. Cultivating the Dao is entirely one’s own effort. You are in the Dragon Spring Sword Sect. So what if you’re not a sword cultivator? So what if outsiders disparage you? So what if Xu Xiaoqiao and Xie Ling surpass your realm in the future? Does that make you not my Dragon Spring Sword Sect’s senior designated disciple? Since when did the Dragon Spring Sword Sect need to rank people by force? Is it because I didn’t teach you, or you didn’t remember?"

Ruan Qiong glanced at Dong Gu. "Keep eating."

Dong Gu immediately picked up his chopsticks.

Ruan Qiong turned his head. "Xu Xiaoqiao, Xie Ling, after you finish eating, go to Da Li’s old Central Marchmount territory. If Xiu Xiu doesn’t want to come back, and persuasion is useless, then let her be."

Xu Xiaoqiao nodded.

Ruan Qiong suddenly said, "Remember to go to the Sui Sui Shop at Dragon Riding Alley and buy lots of pastries."

Xu Xiaoqiao, who usually had a bland temperament, showed a rare smile.

Xie Ling could hardly hide his joy. Finally, he could see Sister Xiu.

The two direct sword cultivators of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect flew on their swords to the small town of Huaihuang County. At the entrance of Sui Sui Shop on Dragon Riding Alley, Xu Xiaoqiao picked some of each pastry, with peach blossom cakes being the most numerous, filling two large oil-paper packages.

The shopkeeper was Shi Rou.

Seeing Xu Xiaoqiao, and especially Xie Ling, who had such a prominent sect and family background, Shi Rou couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous.

When she heard the pastries were for Ruan Xiu, Shi Rou wanted to not accept payment.

After all, she felt very close to Miss Xiu Xiu, even though she hadn’t seen her for many years.

Xie Ling smiled slightly. "Shopkeeper Shi, thanks, but we still have to pay."

Shi Rou didn’t dare to make a fuss.

After all, with her current appearance, making a big deal out of it would indeed be inappropriate.

Then the two flew on their swords towards the Dragon Spring Sword Sect’s new territory.

Above the sea of clouds, Xie Ling asked with a smile, "Second Senior Sister, I heard Sister Xiu has a little spirit creature beside her now?"

Xu Xiaoqiao grunted in affirmation.

Xie Ling didn’t ask further.

In the snow-covered wilderness, the two were walking down a mountain path. A little girl clutching an oil-paper umbrella leaped forward, then rolled all over the ground, covered in white snow, tumbling all the way down.

A young woman walked slowly behind her.

The little girl stood up and wielded the oil-paper umbrella like a blacksmith’s hammer, chanting, "Old Lord swings the hammer, Spark Star adds the charcoal, ouch ouch! Rain Master and Wind Earl help the battle formation, Thunder God and Lightning Mother lend a hand, crackle pop!"

The young woman said, "That’s not how you recite the sword-forging mantra."

The little girl stopped her hammer-swinging motion, looked up at the distant mountain, and lowered her voice to ask, "Sister Xiu, that Mountain God, isn’t he a former Marchmount Lord of our Da Li dynasty? Even when he farts, it sounds like thunder, enough to blow up a little thing like me. Why is he so polite when he sees you? It didn’t even seem like politeness; it was fear."

Ruan Xiu said, "You’re so smart, you already know the answer, so why ask? Talking too much makes you hungry."

The little girl’s eyes darted. "Sister Xiu, doesn't that make you even smarter than me?"

Ruan Xiu shook her head. "I don’t like to think. I’m rather stupid."

The little girl pretended to be scared. "Sister Xiu, you get hungry so easily. You won’t get so hungry that you end up eating me, will you?"

Ruan Xiu nodded. "Yes, I will."

The little girl scurried to Ruan Xiu’s side. Now she was genuinely worried. She tugged at Ruan Xiu’s sleeve and whispered, "Sister Xiu, don’t eat me."

Ruan Xiu didn’t feel like talking much.

The little girl clutched the oil-paper umbrella, which she nicknamed "Holding a Flower." "Sister Xiu, be careful or I’ll tattle..."

But Ruan Xiu gave her a light slap, sending her spinning dozens of times before she crashed heavily into the snow in the distance, rolling along and snapping countless dead tree branches.

However, the little girl quickly ran back to Ruan Xiu’s side, completely unbothered, as if she were used to it.

As they neared the foot of the mountain, the little girl quickly hid behind Ruan Xiu.

Xu Xiaoqiao and Xie Ling descended gracefully, sheathing their swords. Even just in their sword-sheathing postures, the two disciples of the same sect were strikingly different: one was brisk and decisive, the other dashing and free.

One respectfully called her "Senior Sister."

The other smilingly called her "Sister Xiu."

Ruan Xiu nodded and only said, "You’re here."

The little girl peeked out from behind Ruan Xiu. How strange, two sword immortals at once! They didn’t look like a divine couple. That young man with a very proper appearance, he definitely liked Sister Xiu.

He just called her "Sister Xiu"?

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

The little girl thought this young sword immortal was pitiful.

Xu Xiaoqiao took off his bundle and handed it to Ruan Xiu, saying with a smile, "Pastries from Sui Sui Shop."

Ruan Xiu’s face lit up. She took the package, weighed it a little, and became even happier.

The little girl grumbled inwardly. Look at that. Not even close to making Sister Xiu as happy as a package of pastries.

She really wanted to knock this young man out cold with a single blow and drag him back to her cave as a future captive husband. She could just keep him for now. A pretty face can really be eaten as food. As for the so-called cave, it was just her alone, anyway.

Ruan Xiu carefully took out a peach blossom cake, put it in her mouth, and her face immediately filled with joy.

Then she picked out a piece of pastry and gave it to the little girl. The little girl swallowed it in one gulp. What did it taste like? She didn’t know.

Ruan Xiu asked, "Did you pay?"

Xu Xiaoqiao said, "We did."

Ruan Xiu nodded, but said, "I don’t have to pay when I go there."

Xu Xiaoqiao was speechless.

Xie Ling’s feelings were even more complicated.

Xu Xiaoqiao said, "Master asked me to ask Senior Sister if you want to come back."

Ruan Xiu said, "Of course I’m going back. How could I not? I still want to hear Little Rice Grain tell stories. We haven’t seen each other for so long. Little Rice Grain can make up a lot more stories by now."

Xu Xiaoqiao felt that coming from Ruan Xiu, such a reason was the most natural and justified thing in the world.

————

In a street-side bookshop in a prefectural city of a small vassal state of the old Zhu Ying dynasty, the bookseller was a young woman of ordinary appearance named He Jia. Her figure was excellent. Even though her face wasn’t particularly striking, many libertines often loitered around her bookshop. But no one had ever taken advantage of her; at most, they would make some flirtatious remarks. The young woman spoke little and ignored these advances. There were also young scholars from well-off but not aristocratic families who came to buy books, their intentions lying elsewhere than the books.

At dusk today, He Jia sat behind the counter, flipping through a book. She glanced at the sky and was about to get up and close the shop to return to her lodging, which was not far away, just two alleys over.

She had just put down her book when she noticed a young man in sword scabbard standing outside the shop’s entrance. Even unkempt, his handsome features were hard to hide. He was as graceful as a jade tree in the wind, like a nanmu or a pine, with a brilliant and radiant quality.

She said softly, "I’m sorry, young master, but we’re about to close."

He stood outside the threshold, as if afraid to step across. His lips trembled as he tried to keep his voice calm. "I just happened to be passing by and wanted to buy a few books. I wasn’t looking for you on purpose."

He Jia inwardly sighed. Such a lame excuse. You don’t even believe it yourself. Can you fool anyone else?

But He Jia didn’t say anything more. She sat back down in her chair, picked up the book, and said softly, "If the young master truly wants to buy books, you may pick them yourself. I can close later."

The young man still didn’t cross the threshold.

He Jia just lowered her head and continued reading her book, using the remaining light of the setting sun. Even though her realm was insignificant now, she was still no ordinary mortal, so she didn’t find it too difficult.

He mustered his courage and said in a trembling voice, "Come back with me to Wind Thunder Garden? Alright? Su Jia?"

Even if she hadn’t used her illusion spell, even if she had truly changed to her current appearance, he could still recognize her at a glance.

Even if the river of time flowed backward, and she suddenly became a little girl, or an old woman with white hair, Liu Baqiao would never miss her in the crowd.

But how could he say these things? And what right did he have to say them?

He Jia looked up, frowning. "Although I am no longer a direct disciple of the Patriarch Hall, my name is still clearly recorded on the outer sect register of Zhengyang Mountain. Young Master Liu, why do you say such things?"

He Jia paused for a moment. "But for now, I have descended the mountain for my training. Young Master Liu, please don’t call me Su Jia anymore."

Liu Baqiao felt as if his heart, liver, and entrails were all twisted together. Even as a sword cultivator at the Golden Core bottleneck with a promising Great Dao, he still felt suffocated at this moment and wanted to bend over to catch his breath.

Liu Baqiao asked, "What are you called now?"

He Jia looked a bit annoyed. "Young Master Liu, is that any of your business?!"

Liu Baqiao lowered his head and murmured softly, "I like you. I’ve been looking for you for many years."

The bookshop’s female shopkeeper, He Jia, or rather Su Jia of Zhengyang Mountain, stood up and said, "Young Master Liu, I beg you. Leave me a little peace, okay? I spent all my last savings to settle here. It wasn’t easy. Young Master Liu, I am different from you. I always have been, and even more so now. Besides, I never liked you, Young Master Liu. Ask your conscience. How many times have we met? How many words have we spoken?"

Liu Baqiao looked up with a bitter smile. "We never spoke before. All the words are being said today."

Su Jia softened her tone slightly. "Young Master Liu, you should know that I don’t like it, right?"

Liu Baqiao nodded.

Su Jia said with a mix of exasperation and amusement, "Young Master Liu likes Su Jia, so Su Jia should be grateful to you because you’re Liu Baqiao, the genius sword cultivator of Wind Thunder Garden?"

Liu Baqiao shook his head. "There is no such logic in the world. It is only right that you don’t like me."

Su Jia closed her book, gently placed it on the table, and said, "If Young Master Liu feels guilty because your senior brother once challenged me in a sword duel and won, then I can sincerely tell you that there is no need for that. I do not hold a grudge against your senior brother, Yellow River. On the contrary, that sword duel back then made me understand even more that Yellow River was far superior to me, both in sword mastery and realm. Losing means losing. Furthermore, if Young Master Liu thinks that after losing that duel, being removed from the Patriarch Hall, and falling to this state, I would harbor resentment against Zhengyang Mountain, then you have misunderstood me again."

Su Jia’s eyes were clear. "I have cultivated on the mountain since I was a child. I have no memories of the mortal world. As long as I can remember, I have considered Zhengyang Mountain my only home."

Liu Baqiao said softly, "As long as Miss Su continues to keep her shop here, I will leave immediately. And I promise never to bother Miss Su again."

Su Jia laughed angrily. "I already told you. Setting up this bookshop and buying this small house took all my savings. Even if I wanted to move, where would I go? I just hope Young Master Liu will keep his promise."

Liu Baqiao nodded. "I will."

Finally, Liu Baqiao still did not step over the threshold. He only asked, "Can I sit here on the threshold for a while? Just a little while?"

Su Jia felt helpless.

That Liu Baqiao actually sat down on the threshold.

When the evening light stretched the shadows of people on the street longer and longer, Liu Baqiao finally got up and left.

"What flourishes in the grain field is called Jia." Many people love Jia.

What was wrong with liking a woman like this?

Inside the bookshop, Su Jia shook her head, merely hoping that this inexplicable affair would end here.

That Liu Baqiao liked her had actually been an open secret between Zhengyang Mountain and Wind Thunder Garden for a long time. But Su Jia truly did not like him.

Su Jia closed the bookshop door and walked towards her small house.

After that sword duel back then, Su Jia had lost everything: a sword peak, her status as a direct disciple of the Patriarch Hall, the Sword-Nurturing Gourd gifted by her master...

And now she was covered in mud, having to hide in the mortal world.

Before this, it hadn’t been smooth sailing either. It had been hard enough to deal with all those big and small troubles, one by one, and she had finally come through.

As for Zhengyang Mountain, as she herself said, she bore no hatred, and even had an irrepressible sense of guilt.

What was hard to let go of were certain people and certain words.

But for Yellow River, the closed-door disciple of Li Tuanjing and now the master of Wind Thunder Garden, Su Jia felt an indescribable fear that often woke her from nightmares.

She couldn’t understand it. It was extremely hard to let go.

Back then, on the Snow Wind Temple’s Immortal Platform, the site of their three sword duels, Yellow River stood with a sword scabbard on his back, filled with small swords, not his natal flying swords. He controlled the swords with his divided mind, which was truly incredible.

One sword pierced through Su Jia’s sword-wielding hand. Another cut the red cord from which her Sword-Nurturing Gourd hung at her waist. Finally, two flying swords pinned her wrists.

Before she fainted, the last thing she saw before closing her eyes was Yellow River stepping on her Sword-Nurturing Gourd, gently grinding it under his foot.

A man as imposing as a mountain, like an invincible and majestic existence, yet utterly ruthless and cold-blooded in every way.

Even meeting Liu Baqiao today, Su Jia’s heart was trembling, because she couldn’t help but think of Yellow River again, of that nightmare, of the culprit.

Su Jia walked through a quiet alley, stretching out one hand to wrap around her shoulder, as if trying to warm herself.

As she walked, Su Jia’s face turned pale. She turned sideways, leaned against the wall, raised a hand, and vigorously rubbed her brow.

After a long time, Su Jia raised the back of her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, then headed towards that small house.

Su Jia reached the end of an alley, opened the door, and stood frozen on the spot. Then her face was instantly covered in tears.

The person before her appeared to be an ordinary woman, but just as Liu Baqiao could recognize Su Jia at a glance, Su Jia could also recognize the woman in front of her at a glance.

It was her master, who had brought her up the mountain to cultivate.

But for some reason, it was not recorded this way in the Patriarch Hall register. Su Jia had been transferred early on to become a disciple of an ancestor of Zhengyang Mountain, subsequently becoming a direct disciple of the Patriarch Hall.

As for her master, still not a single disciple was recorded in the register. Her master’s generation was not low, but she had never been famous on Zhengyang Mountain.

Back then, at every Patriarch Hall meeting, her master almost never showed up. Her chair, placed far in the back, was always empty, because she liked to travel down the mountain, often leaving for ten years or decades at a time.

The woman dispelled her illusion magic. She was the female cultivator of Zhengyang Mountain who had attended the Da Li Imperial Study meeting. She had sat at the very last seat back then, and no one had spoken a single word to her from start to finish.

She looked young, not particularly beautiful.

She walked over to Su Jia, whose eyes were blurred with tears, reached out, and touched Su Jia’s head. She said with a gentle smile, "Silly disciple. Master just left Zhengyang Mountain to travel for a few years, and you’ve ended up like this. What’s this? Without Master by your side, are you still that little girl who didn’t dare walk the night road alone? I knew I shouldn’t have sent you to Feather Transformation Peak back then."

Su Jia smiled, her long, autumn-water eyes squinting into crescent moons.

With her master by her side, it seemed she truly need fear nothing, becoming that carefree little girl once more.

The woman withdrew her hand. A red string was tied around her wrist.

She stayed for a brief moment, then got up and left.

She did not say she would take Su Jia back to Zhengyang Mountain and restore her status as a direct disciple of the Patriarch Hall. She didn’t even mention the future ownership of the Sword-Nurturing Gourd.

But Su Jia felt that her current simple and light days were not as hard to endure as she had imagined. Though she had many regrets, keeping that bookshop every day and earning silver and copper coins gave her peace of mind, except for that nightmare.

After the woman left, she transformed back into an ordinary woman in plain clothes.

Shortly after the woman left, there was a knock at the door.

Su Jia ran quickly to open it, mistakenly thinking her master had returned. But then she staggered backward, her body swaying.

Her sword heart was already destroyed. Having fallen to the Lower Five Realms, Su Jia was now even weaker than an ordinary mortal woman.

The man stood outside the door, his expression cold. He said slowly, "Su Jia, you should be very clear. Liu Baqiao will definitely come to see you secretly in the future, just without you knowing. Now, you have two choices. Either crawl back to Zhengyang Mountain and eke out a miserable existence, or find a man to marry and honestly be a good wife and mother. If, after that, Liu Baqiao still can’t get you out of his mind and it interferes with his sword practice, then I will have to make him completely give up."

Su Jia bit her lip so hard that blood seeped out. She couldn’t utter a single word.

This man was none other than Yellow River, the master of Wind Thunder Garden, who had broken through his seclusion at some unknown time.

If not for the Snow Wind Temple sword immortal Wei Jin, Yellow River would be the number one sword genius of Vase Bottle Continent.

After saying this, Yellow River turned and left on his sword.

If Liu Baqiao were not someone his master valued highly, Yellow River wouldn’t bother with such tedious matters of romantic love between men and women.

If Wind Thunder Garden didn’t need a second person to carry the burden in case something happened to Yellow River, he wouldn’t even feel the need to pay attention to Liu Baqiao.

Both were sword cultivators, but the gap in their Great Dao was too vast.

Yellow River had successfully emerged from his secluded meditation this time and now awaited a sword cultivator ancestor from Zhengyang Mountain to come challenge Wind Thunder Garden.

He had followed Liu Baqiao all the way here, holding back several times from making a move, each time wanting to knock Liu Baqiao unconscious mid-flight with a single sword strike and drag him straight back to Wind Thunder Garden, making this talent-wasting guy just go into seclusion for a hundred years.

Su Jia was distraught. She went to close the door, then slumped down against it, sobbing.

This unrelenting ghost of Yellow River. What would she do in the future?

Su Jia’s master, that woman, had just walked out of the prefectural city gate. She looked up at the sky, then continued on her way, not towards Zhengyang Mountain, but to look for her next disciple.

As for Wind Thunder Garden, for the next few centuries, it would stop right here.

The master and disciple holding a death feud.

Keeping Yellow River, or leaving Liu Baqiao, at best they would be the next Li Tuanjing.

The interesting part was not that Su Jia didn’t like Liu Baqiao and never would, but that Su Jia herself didn’t know that she actually liked Yellow River.

If both Yellow River and Liu Baqiao were half-dead, that would be even better.

As for the woman from Zhengyang Mountain who was personally killed by Li Tuanjing hundreds of years ago, she was, in fact, also a disciple of this walking woman. Like Su Jia, she was one of those not officially recorded.

There were also some women who were not her disciples, but still had some connection with her.

Or she had done some little things unrelated to the master-disciple bond.

For example, how Wei Jin of Snow Wind Temple had met and come to like He Xiaoliang.

In the old Zhu Ying dynasty, there were also some old, stale, and stale stories of the past.

Unbeknownst to many, over a thousand years, the sword fortune of an entire continent had been toyed with in the palm of her hand. It might not be all of it, but half was certainly attributable to her.

Beyond that, she had once been to Parasol Leaf Continent and left a prophecy at the Planchette Divination Sect.

She flicked her sleeve, raised her wrist slightly, looked down, and smiled. She withdrew her gaze and walked forward slowly.

Many so-called smart people on the mountain peaks were also skilled at laying down clues like hidden grass and snakes, or laying out threads a thousand miles ahead, but such threads were, after all, just threads. They could be easily broken, and once broken, they were gone.

But there was only one kind of thread in the world. Once it was formed, even a sword immortal would find it hard to cut. Even if it appeared broken, it was still like a lotus root that was broken but still connected by fibers, entangling a person for a lifetime.

Only someone with deep foresight and a great skill for unraveling the finest of threads could hope to feel a little better when facing this dead knot of a situation.

Once the thread was pulled, as long as it wasn’t a sword immortal drawing their sword, it wouldn’t actually kill a person, but it would often make life worse than death. Then, death would be counted as a release.

She never underestimated her enemies.

So for some people she cared about, she had to lay down a few more threads.

In the world, those who are deeply in love prefer heartbreaking affairs. They find joy in misery and revel in it. If the heart isn’t broken, how can one be considered a devoted lover?

Her thoughts drifted far away.

It was a pity she hadn’t seen her senior brother for many years.

The last time was actually very close. It could even be said they brushed past each other. But there was nothing she could do. As long as her senior brother was determined to avoid her, she would likely be blind to him, unable to recognize him even if he were right under her nose.

She heard he had appeared near the Observation Dao Temple in Parasol Leaf Continent the last time.

There was one thing about her senior brother that wasn’t good. He liked to borrow the red string on her wrist but never returned it.

The woman suddenly laughed at herself. "He hasn’t sensed something already, has he?"

The woman shook her head and smiled. "Absolutely impossible. How old could that little girl be? Why bother over a small place like Zhengyang Mountain?"

————

A slovenly middle-aged man with a hunched back first went to the tavern in the small town to get a little handsy, earning himself a few playful curses, before sauntering over to the street where Yang’s Shop was located.

The young man Shi Lingshan, who worked as both a shop assistant and a disciple of Old Man Yang, sat behind the counter. He was "wading through water" to temper his soul, completely immersed in the process, in a state of stillness and death-like half-sleep.

Su Dian, who was even more diligent in her cultivation than her junior brother Shi Lingshan, wasn’t practicing her boxing with that eccentric method today. Instead, she was simply sitting at the entrance, soaking up the sun. When she saw her senior brother Zheng Dafeng approaching, she stood up. Zheng Dafeng waved and said, "Miss Su, you’ve gotten even prettier! If you keep becoming this lovely, and I think about you marrying someone else one day, it’s going to break my heart."

As he got closer to Su Dian, Zheng Dafeng beat his chest in mock anguish.

Su Dian asked, "Senior Brother, are you looking for Master?"

Zheng Dafeng said helplessly, "Not looking for Master. It’s just that it’s so cold up on the mountain, no matter how much I cover up with the blanket, I can’t get warm. It’s freezing! So I came down to stretch my legs. Hey, Miss Su, you’re only a few steps away from me, and you never think to come visit your senior brother. Don’t you think my big house could hold a wisp of a girl like you?"

Su Dian shook her head. "I wouldn’t dare spend the night there. I’m afraid mice will be scurrying along the base of the walls all night long."

Zheng Dafeng said with mock seriousness, "Miss Su, it’s not that I’m nagging you just because I’m your senior brother, but as a martial artist, you need to forge a courageous heart. You can’t be so timid. Come on, tonight you’ll stay at my place and temper your courage and spirit."

Su Dian said helplessly, "Senior Brother, if you have something to say, just say it directly."

If she didn’t know that this shameless senior brother was all talk and no action, she would have fallen out with him long ago.

Zheng Dafeng clasped his hands behind his back, spotted a little stool, and was about to plop down on it. It should be fairly warm, right?

But Su Dian hooked it with her foot and snatched it up.

Zheng Dafeng then stepped over the threshold and saw Shi Lingshan. He shook his head. "Everyone says the water is first for the moon on the shore. But you, boy, you can’t even keep hold of your fellow disciple who you see day in and day out. Just wait. You’ll be heartbroken later. Which martial arts novel doesn’t write about some junior or senior sister being seduced by a handsome and wealthy young hero while traveling the martial world? Shi Lingshan, wake up! Your senior sister is about to get married!"

Shi Lingshan was furious. The interruption to his cultivation made him glare angrily. "Zheng Dafeng! You stop fanning the flames and spreading rumors here!"

Zheng Dafeng rolled his eyes. "You can’t even curse properly. What the hell do you know?"

Shi Lingshan was about to retort.

But then his senior sister spoke up. "Senior Brother, you said before that if I want to break through the Fourth Realm bottleneck, or if I advance to the Fifth Realm, I should choose an ancient battlefield site. Do you have any in mind? I want to go out for a while."

Shi Lingshan was dumbfounded.

Zheng Dafeng gave the boy a sidelong glance. "Before I came down the mountain, I didn't have enough to eat. If I don't go to the latrine, you won’t get to eat anything."

Shi Lingshan felt a mix of sadness and indignation. The combination nearly made him lose his temper and spar with this Zheng Dafeng. But seeing the other’s hunchbacked figure, Shi Lingshan felt a bit of pity and decided to drop it.

Zheng Dafeng chuckled and turned to Su Dian. "I have some ideas, but for such a big matter, the old master has his own plans. It’s not for me to worry about."

Su Dian asked, "Senior Brother, do you also think I can leave home on my own now?"

Zheng Dafeng shook his head. "It’s better to take a dead weight with you. At least you’ll have someone to look out for each other. Your realms are still too shallow, and your heads aren’t too sharp. The dangers out there aren’t really about cultivation realms; they’re in people’s hearts. Shi Lingshan is okay. He’s soft-hearted usually, but when it counts, he can be cruel. You, on the other hand, Miss Su, you’re usually hard-hearted, but that’s more troublesome. When you two travel far, you can tell people that Shi Lingshan is your son. That way, you’ll avoid those shameless bachelors bothering you. When I think about it up on the mountain, I can’t sleep from worry."

Su Dian didn’t know what to say.

Shi Lingshan felt like he’d been struck by lightning.

Zheng Dafeng glanced at the bamboo curtain, then turned and left Yang’s Shop.

Zheng Dafeng went to the archway, the one whose four plaques had lost their mystery. He circled it once. The plaques were still there, each with an inscription that was quite thought-provoking.

Then he went to the Iron Lock Well, which was now a private forbidden area for some sect. They had spent a lot of money to buy it earlier, but got nothing in return. No one could be more foolish. That big oaf Jiang Yun had some luck, but wasn’t too formidable. Thinking of the Yunlin Jiang clan, Zheng Dafeng winced. Seeing no one around, he adjusted himself in his trousers Sorry, little buddy. Big brother has failed you. I worked hard, reading books, learning all kinds of martial arts skills. But having a full set of ultimate techniques, there’s no villain to use them on.

Zheng Dafeng left the small town and went to the Immortal Grave. This name was no longer used. The Da Li court was intentionally or unintentionally downplaying this old name. The dilapidated divine statue had been propped up again, repaired to look old, and remade to look old. The Da Li court had put some thought into it. As for the large, newly built Martial Temple, he wouldn’t go there. Nothing much to talk about. Staring at each other and not seeing any flowers blooming.

Then he took a detour to the waterfall where the Iron Charm River and Dragon Whisker River met.

He crouched there and threw pebbles.

What a perfect scene, of Yang entering the flood and becoming duckweed.

Zheng Dafeng changed to a spot with a deeper, slower current, stared at the water surface, and muttered to himself, "Could there really be a man so handsome in this world? The more I look, the more I want to punch him."

Finally, Zheng Dafeng passed by Ruan Qiong’s earliest sword-forging shop.

He walked to the stone arch bridge. The covered bridge had been dismantled long ago, restoring the old stone bridge to its true appearance.

Zheng Dafeng sat alone on the stone bridge.

He turned his head to look at the north side of the town, where the Old Porcelain Mountain and numerous dragon kilns were located.

Zheng Dafeng withdrew his gaze.

Three thousand years ago, that sword immortal, who rose quickly and disappeared just as fast, had some kind of mental glitch. After suddenly becoming famous, he exclusively killed flood dragons, turning the world dark and chaotic. It was said he wanted to become the first sword cultivator to break through the Flying Ascension bottleneck.

That most proud scholar in the Central Earth Divine Continent wasn’t a sword cultivator, after all; he was just a scholar. Otherwise, perhaps the entire structure of the Righteous Qi World might have changed.

But regarding this secret matter, the old man who surely knew the answer had never given an explanation. Zheng Dafeng had early on gone to Li Er in a roundabout way, hoping his senior brother would ask about it. Li Er agreed, but nothing came of it later.

There was no help for it. It was better now. At least he could get a few scoldings. In the past, when the old man was willing to say a few words to him, as long as it was close to ten words, it was like New Year’s Day for Zheng Dafeng.

So Zheng Dafeng only knew that the last true dragon in the world didn’t try to head for those ancient sea-floor secret forbidden grounds. Instead, it came ashore from Old Dragon City, carving an underground dragon path, and finally fell within Da Li’s borders.

It sought refuge, trying to get some ancient being to reopen the Flying Ascension Platform, allowing it to escape into some unknown place beyond the reach of saints.

But that old man didn’t let it have its way. He chose to stand by and watch.

In the end, it created Lizhu Cave Heaven, one of the thirty-six lesser cave heavens.

The four saints of the Three Teachings and one school established the rules and built the archway, hung with four plaques, which the locals of Lizhu Cave Heaven later jokingly called the Crab Archway.

The Da Li Song clan built a covered bridge over the original stone arch bridge, all to ensure the longevity of the Da Li dynasty and to foster a flourishing national fortune, striving for a share of the world’s power.

Before Song Changjing took Song Jixin and his maidservant Zhi Gu away, he specifically had Prince Song Jixin go to the steps of the covered bridge to offer incense.

Those being worshipped were all the tragically wronged dragon sons and grandsons of the Da Li Song clan.

The old superintendent Song Yuzhang personally handled this matter, effectively holding the bloody secrets of the Da Li Song clan in his hands.

In the end, that consort, who was better at giving birth to sons than anything else, ordered the follower of that fallen general of the Lu Kingdom, Wang Yipu, to behead Song Yuzhang, place his head in a box, and send it to the Da Li capital.

After Song Yuzhang was killed, he became the mountain god of Luopo Mountain as a spirit body. It was hard to say whether this was the Da Li emperor’s compensation to this official or another form of punishment, because in one matter, Song Yuzhang had touched the old emperor’s reverse scale: Song Yuzhang had dared to develop a fatherly affection for Song Jixin, and Song Jixin indeed harbored a complex, indescribable emotion toward Song Yuzhang. Song Jixin, who grew up comfortably in Mud Vase Alley as the superintendent’s illegitimate son, truly regarded Song Yuzhang as his biological father during those leisurely years, feeling both resentment and admiration deep down.

He suddenly thought of that dusty medicine shop in Old Dragon City.

Actually, Zheng Dafeng somewhat missed it.

When it comes to people, they often don’t remember the truly good things. Those things come and go. Instead, it’s the heartbreaking events, which aren’t entirely bad, that linger in the mind.

Zheng Dafeng lay back, using his hands as a pillow, closed his eyes and murmured, "Is it really that hard not to think of yourself as a superior person, and not to think of others as fools? The world is strange, too."

————

Ruan Xiu returned to Dragon Spring Sword Sect.

She had arranged to meet Pei Qian and Zhou Mili at the Sui Sui Shop on Dragon Riding Alley.

Today, the three of them sat together at the shop entrance, soaking up the sun.

Ruan Xiu noticed that Little Rice Grain seemed to be avoiding her. Even her stories about the landscapes of the Northern Juju Continent weren’t as smooth as usual. Ruan Xiu looked again and roughly understood the situation.

It had something to do with the Yuye River Water God’s Palace. As for the details, Ruan Xiu wasn’t curious and couldn’t be bothered to ask. Since Little Rice Grain didn’t want to talk about it herself, why bother a little girl?

Ruan Xiu just ate her peach blossom cakes. They didn’t cost any money.

If you think about it, she was actually the earliest acting shopkeeper of two shops.

Pei Qian said, "Sister Xiu, this time I traveled far away, a really, really long way."

Ruan Xiu smiled. "That’s so impressive."

Pei Qian nodded vigorously. "So impressive! Even I have to admire myself."

Pei Qian hesitated for a moment, then asked softly, "Sister Xiu, did you also travel far?"

Ruan Xiu thought for a moment and said casually, "Above the heavens and below the earth, the four seas and five lakes, great mountains and ancient abysses, I go everywhere. Where the sun shines, my footsteps go. Where the firelight shines, that’s my domain."

Zhou Mili hurriedly raised both hands, not clasping them together, but clapping them quickly. "Wow! Sister Xiu, you’re the best! You must have worn out a lot of shoes, right?"

Ruan Xiu smiled faintly. "Not really."

Zhou Mili racked her brains to finish her story, then went next door to the wizard’s shop to chat with Jiu’er.

Pei Qian had told her not to mention anything about Red Candle Town. Zhou Mili had actually forgotten all about it, but with Pei Qian bringing it up like that, she was now dreaming about it. It worried her so much that even food didn’t taste good lately, and munching melon seeds didn’t help with her hunger. So meeting Sister Xiu today had been incredibly awkward for her.

Ruan Xiu stood up. "Come on, let’s go have fun."

Pei Qian stood up too. "Sister Xiu, don’t go to the Yuye River."

Ruan Xiu squinted her eyes and rubbed the little girl’s head. "Liking you, liking Little Rice Grain’s stories, that’s one thing. How I live my life, I decide that myself."

The next moment.

Pei Qian was so anxious she stomped her feet and scratched her head vigorously. What to do, what to do?

Fortunately, Zhu Lian arrived. He said to Pei Qian, "It’s fine."

Pei Qian beamed. "Old Cook, you’ve gotten addicted to appearing and disappearing like a ghost!"

Zhu Lian walked into the Sui Sui Shop.

Pei Qian followed behind, giggling. "For family, twenty percent off."

Zhu Lian laughed. "I actually know a few pastry recipes. The golden ball jujube paste cake is one of mine. It’s somewhat famous."

Pei Qian asked skeptically, "You mean that insanely expensive jujube paste cake from the Southern Garden Kingdom capital back then?"

Zhu Lian clasped his hands behind his back, looking over the various pastries in the shop, and nodded. "Would you have guessed?"

Pei Qian praised, "Old Cook, you really are destined to be a cook. Too bad you’re not good-looking. Otherwise, even at your age, you wouldn’t be a bachelor!"

Zhu Lian grunted in agreement.

Shi Rou’s expression was strange.

Ruan Xiu flew to the Yuye River. After hesitating for a moment, she reluctantly used an illusion spell.

The moment she entered the Yuye River.

The river water instantly boiled, as if the sun had fallen into the riverbed, with a great fire cooking it.

The majesty of Heaven was vast and oppressive.

Ruan Xiu walked into the Water God’s palace hall. The Water God lady, who had been relying on the river’s fortune to repair her golden body, was already kneeling on the ground, unable to rise. She didn’t even know why, but seeing this woman made her lose all control, only seeking a quick death!

Ruan Xiu walked past the prostrate, trembling "Water God," ascended the steps, and turned to sit on the main seat of the hall. Her posture slightly slanted, she rested her cheek on one hand, and gazed into the distance.