Chapter 642: Cui Dongshan's Blank Sheet of Paper
Zhu Lian arrived at the New Year's Shop. He grumbled that the shop had been cold for too long, the stove had become mere decoration, so he told Pei Qian to go buy some groceries, saying he'd cook a meal to liven things up.
Pei Qian was worried about Sister Xiu, who had gone to the Jade Liquid River, and didn't want to leave her post. She thought she'd wait until Sister Xiu returned. So she suggested that the neighboring Thatched Shop operated every day, and they could just drop by there for a free meal. Sister Wine's cooking was pretty good anyway, and the aroma of her food could be smelled throughout Dragon Rider Alley. Zhu Lian refused, saying that each shop had its own unique aura and feng shui. You could mooch a meal, but you couldn't bring back the shop's vitality. Where did that vitality come from? From the daily routines of life: the smoke from cooking fires, the airing of bedding, and preferably the sound of reading. A shop with only the clacking of an abacus wouldn't amount to much. Wealth and fortune in this world were hard to hold onto; they needed a share of human vitality to help gather and keep them within the home.
Pei Qian had no choice. She grumbled that the old cook had too many rules and strange quirks, and she couldn't argue with his logic. So she had to take Right Protector Zhou Mili along to buy some game and vegetables from a shop in a nearby street. Shi Rou felt a pang of guilt and fear, always sensing that Zhu Lian was subtly criticizing her, finding her neither human nor ghost, unable to help Falling Mountain earn big money and even spoiling the shop's feng shui. So she secretly took out her private savings and stuffed them into Pei Qian's hand. Pei Qian said, "Oh, this won't do! It's better to put it on the shop's account." But before Shi Rou could take back the pouch, Pei Qian had already tucked the bag of copper coins into her sleeve. She stomped her foot and complained, "Sister Shi Rou, you're being too formal. Don't let it happen again." Then, taking Zhou Mili with her, she shouted and whooshed away, vanishing in an instant.
The town had now become Huaihuang County's seat. The streets and lanes were lined with shops, many of them selling antiques. Most of these were items that the Oxhorn Mountain Bundle Courier shops would have disdained. But if one piece sold, it could fetch several Immortal's Coins, enough to buy a house in the new prefectural city. Actually, the Thatched Shop on Dragon Rider Alley had gained some renown. The items displayed there were genuine, if expensive. So not many people bought, but many came to look.
The reason was that scholars from the Great Li Empire came in an endless stream to pay respects at the Old Porcelain Mountain and the Civil and Military Temples of Immortal Grave, to visit the many immortal mountains in the west, to go to Cloak Cloud Mountain and pay a visit to Linlu Academy. As for the cultivators who descended from the immortal ferry at Oxhorn Mountain, they basically reversed the sightseeing route of the book-laden scholars. Peach Leaf Lane's peach trees, the Iron Lock Well near Apricot Blossom Lane, the New Year's Shop on Dragon Rider Alley that sold pastries and preserved fruits, the Thatched Shop that seemed to sell sundries but was actually tainted with immortal aura, and the new private school opened by the Dragon Tail Creek Chen clan—these were all places outsiders felt they had to visit.
People came and went. The small town was bustling and lively.
Zhu Lian went to the kitchen. The water vat was empty, so he found a carrying pole and two buckets. Nowadays, fetching water from the Iron Lock Well was impossible—it had been sealed off. The Great Li court had dug several new wells in the town to ensure the common people wouldn't have trouble getting water. But the old folks in the area kept muttering that the taste wasn't right, not as sweet as the water drawn from Lock Dragon Well. Life had to go on, and water had to be drunk, but that didn't stop them from grumbling. It was like when the old locust tree that provided shade was gone—the elders were heartbroken. Yet now, their grandchildren, with runny noses and in open-crotch pants, weren't they living joyfully and carefree?
The New Year's Shop was suddenly empty. Shi Rou sat alone behind the counter, feeling a bit uncomfortable. She wondered what Pei Qian would buy to cook for dinner, and then she pictured Zhu Lian tying on an apron and wielding a spatula in the kitchen. She couldn't help but smile. She glanced at the twilight glow outside the door, which seemed to stroll leisurely homeward, slowly returning, having worked all day and now resting.
The Thatched Shop next door, also under Falling Mountain's name, was doing far better business than their own shop, which seemed to have thicker and more trivial account books. One sale there could match many years of the New Year's Shop's earnings. The blind old Daoist Jia Sheng no longer liked to show his face. His cultivation had hit a bottleneck, so he left the shop's business to his two disciples: the taciturn, lame young man Zhao Denggao, and the clever, quick-witted Tian Jiuer.
For most of the year, Old Daoist Jia cultivated at Yellow Lake Mountain, which had recently become a vassal of Falling Mountain, ignoring worldly affairs.
Most cultivators were like this.
Ordinary people spent half their lives in bed, but Qi refiners spent most of their lives in quiet meditation, far from human habitation, cutting off the mortal world. So-called "descending to the mortal world to train" was merely a way to observe the hearts of others and polish one's own Dao heart. According to what Zhu Lian had once chatted about with Pei Qian, cultivating only in a mountain Daoist temple was nothing more than using the Dao heart to explore the heart of heaven—just sitting in meditation. It could achieve something, but it was extremely difficult to achieve great success. That was why, when stillness reached its limit, one sought movement, and one walked into the mortal world.
These immortals on high, far removed from the human world, accustomed to the sound of mountain winds and falling pine cones, what was their temperament like? According to Zhu Lian, not much. When it came to the size of their fists or their level of cultivation, when it came to the journey of the heart, hundreds of years of mountain time might not take them further than the short lifetime of a mortal down the mountain. Whether the heart's journey was far depended on interacting with many people. In the mountains, there were ultimately too few people.
Shi Rou felt his words made no sense at first, but upon deeper thought, they did hold some logic.
As for their own young Mountain Lord, he was quite different. He never rested, leaving such a large estate to run by itself, acting like a hands-off boss all year round. He spent far more time traveling abroad than staying in his own mountain to enjoy life or cultivate.
It was said that the large mountain with excellent water transport had been acquired thanks to Chen Lingjun's great efforts. Falling Mountain and Yellow Lake Mountain had exchanged money for the deed, with the records filed in the Dragon Prefecture Governor's office, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Revenue. Yellow Lake Mountain had quietly become a property under the young Mountain Lord's name. For the avaricious Old Daoist Jia, who had set his heart on that mountain, Shi Rou felt little affinity. She thought he was too mercenary.
The feng shui of Yellow Lake Mountain was not to be taken lightly. How could a man like Jia Sheng even covet it?
Before and after becoming a registered nominal offering master of Falling Mountain, Old Daoist Jia was two different people. Before, he was excessively polite to Shi Rou, frequently dropping by, making small talk, and lingering for ages, trying to curry favor in a roundabout way, giving Shi Rou a headache. After the three masters and disciples became nominal offering masters, Jia never visited the New Year's Shop again. Shi Rou knew he was putting on airs, expecting her to go next door and say a few flattering words. But she stubbornly refused.
In the past, she had spent all her time being scared and didn't think much. Unbeknownst to her, these years of peaceful living had allowed Shi Rou to savor many lingering flavors.
The young Mountain Lord was incredibly shrewd when buying mountains. He always made a huge profit, silently—never flaunting it. A poor boy from Mud Vase Lane who had never read a day of school, yet after his rise, he never showed the slightest hint of showing off. That was truly rare. But it wouldn't be right to say the Mountain Lord was stingy or miserly. Even toward someone like Shi Rou, who had contributed nothing of merit, he was extremely generous. Those many mountains had been acquired by the young Mountain Lord at very low prices. Not only that, but Yellow Lake Mountain came with ready-made immortal estates, all transferred to Falling Mountain's Ancestral Hall. Crimson Sand Mountain was similar. Oxhorn Mountain came with a large ferry terminal, and even the Bundle Courier shops, which had cost many Immortal's Coins to build, had fallen into Falling Mountain's pockets.
Zhu Lian returned with the water. He had just arrived when Pei Qian and Zhou Mili showed up, each carrying a bamboo basket.
Zhou Mili helped light the fire, puffing out her cheeks to blow on the fire tube. Pei Qian sorted vegetables while teasing Little Mili to take it easy, lest she blow the whole stove away. Little Mili laughed and sucked a mouthful of ash. Pei Qian doubled over with laughter. Zhou Mili laughed too, saying she almost got full. The old cook tied on his apron, thoroughly washed the cutting board with well water, had already sharpened the kitchen knife, and was ready to show his skills.
Shi Rou wanted to help but couldn't. She stood at the kitchen door, looking somewhat redundant, but she couldn't just leave. So she stood there like a door god.
Actually, Shi Rou didn't feel embarrassed. She had always been like this. She watched the lively bustle in the kitchen. Although it wasn't the New Year, it already felt like New Year's.
Zhu Lian sliced the vegetables with the knife, his movements flowing like water, a pleasure to watch.
Pei Qian stood nearby and praised, "Great knife skills, Old Cook. Why don't you use a knife against enemies?"
Zhu Lian didn't look up. He laughed and said, "A kitchen knife? If I must carry a weapon, wouldn't traveling far with a sword look better?"
Pei Qian said helplessly, "I find it strange. Could you have been handsome when you were young? Where do you get all these frivolous ideas?"
Zhu Lian replied, "Precisely because I'm not handsome, I have to be meticulous in other ways. If I just let myself go, wouldn't it be even harder to find a wife?"
Pei Qian asked, "So, did you ever find one? In that martial world of ours, our generations are too far apart. You're not that famous. I haven't heard much about your deeds."
Zhu Lian said casually, "Golden Cake Jujube Pastry. Didn't you hear about it back in the capital of Nanyuan Kingdom?"
Pei Qian immediately widened her eyes and lowered her voice, "Walls have ears. You're supposed to be an old hand! So careless! A while ago, I, a little old hand, mentioned 'that country' and 'that capital,' and I regretted it and bit my tongue. You didn't correct me then, which was already wrong. Now you're bringing it up yourself?"
Zhu Lian nodded with a smile, "You're right, you're right. I'll be careful from now on."
Pei Qian asked, "I wonder if Zhong Fuzi and Cao Mutou will dare to come back this year?"
Zhu Lian shook his head, "Hard to say. For a scholar to go to Parrot Continent is like a woman going to the shop at the foot of Deer Cliff Mountain at Inverted Suspension Mountain—there's plenty to shop for."
Pei Qian asked again, "Then who will write the Spring Festival couplets this year? Master's ancestral home, Falling Mountain, Clear Color Peak Ancestral Hall, the bamboo tower, plus those residences, plus all those other mountains—it seems like a lot to write."
Zhu Lian smiled, "If you're too busy, Brother Dafeng and I can help."
Pei Qian frowned, "I can reluctantly agree to you helping, Old Cook, but can Zheng Dafeng's writing even be seen? I'm afraid his characters are too exorcism-like. They'd scare away not just mountain spirits and ghosts, but also fortune and wealth."
Zhu Lian said, "Brother Dafeng is actually quite refined. Apart from playing chess, he's very good at calligraphy and learning."
But then Zhu Lian suddenly said, "Actually, let's not trouble Brother Dafeng after all."
Pei Qian grinned.
Zhou Mili, sitting on a small stool by the stove, was holding the bamboo fire tube, looking confused. Pei Qian sat nearby, cracking melon seeds, and whispered in explanation, "When you praise someone as 'refined,' it's actually an insult for being ugly."
Zhou Mili looked at the old cook, then at Shi Rou, then thought about Zheng Dafeng's appearance, and grinned. In the Falling Mountain household, it seemed now that only Wei Bo's appearance was worthy of the mountain scenery?
Zhu Lian told Shi Rou to stir-fry a couple of dishes too.
Shi Rou wanted to refuse, but how could she dare?
Zhu Lian then smoothed his apron and sat on the kitchen threshold.
Pei Qian finished cracking melon seeds and started counting on her fingers, "My master, Wei Bo, the Great White Goose, offering master Zhou Fei. Actually, Falling Mountain has a lot of good-looking people."
Zhou Mili put her hand to her mouth, leaned close to Pei Qian's ear, and whispered, "In mountain sects, mirror flowers and water moons can make money. He said that the easiest way to make money in the world is to earn Immortal's Coins from female immortals."
Pei Qian grabbed Zhou Mili's ear, "What are you thinking? Could my master earn money that way?"
Zhou Mili changed her tune, "No, absolutely not!"
Pei Qian let go and grinned, "But we could let the Great White Goose, Wei Bo, and Zhou Fei sell their looks to earn that money. That might really rake in the cash."
Zhou Mili quickly made a gesture of flipping through and copying a book.
Pei Qian nodded, "Okay, I'll record another merit for you in the accounts."
Zhu Lian said with some schadenfreude, "It's possible now. At the next Ancestral Hall meeting, we can bring it up."
Pei Qian used sound condensation to speak to the old cook privately, "At the Sword Qi Great Wall, I saw a Jade Pure Realm sword immortal named Mi Yu. He was decent-looking, but stupid. His mind was full of flowers everywhere—very fickle. Hilarious. He provoked us. Before Master and the Great White Goose even made a move, he almost got struck by Big Senior Brother's sword. Actually, we could make him atone for his faults. Let him come to Falling Mountain as an outer sect chief handyman disciple, team up with the Great White Goose and the others to make up a foursome, help Falling Mountain earn enough money, and then he can go home."
Zhu Lian nodded, "Our Falling Mountain does need a sword immortal to hold the fort. A showy one would do too."
Then Zhu Lian suddenly burst into laughter but didn't tell Pei Qian and Little Mili the reason.
Cui Dongshan had reached the Upper Five Realms.
Wei Bo, the younger brother, had become a North Peak mountain lord of the Upper Five Realms.
Offering master Zhou Fei, or rather Jiang Shangzhen, was already an Immortal Realm cultivator, now the sect master of the Jade Gui Sect.
If they added a Jade Pure Realm sword immortal like Mi Yu...
These four didn't care about face anyway. Earning Immortal's Coins through mirror flowers and water moons would make none of them feel awkward.
Zhu Lian leaned back and glanced at the old Spring Festival couplets on the main house. They had been hanging there for a year, exposed to wind, sun, and rain, silently guarding the courtyard. Soon they would be replaced.
Zhu Lian said, "In my hometown, the ritual of 'inviting' the Spring Festival couplets is a bit different. There are two 'invitations.' During the Spring Festival, you invite the couplets up onto the beams—that's one invitation. That's how it's done in the young master's hometown. But in my hometown, there's another invitation. On the day before the second day of the second lunar month, you invite the couplets down from the beams—take them down and send them into the Reverence for Words Furnace. That's considered having completed one's merit. According to old sayings, these couplets are a form of incense offering to the gods. Then you have to write and invite new couplets again. These are the ones that protect the feng shui of each household. As for the upside-down 'fortune' character, it should be pasted inside the house, not on the main gate. When fortune reaches the doorstep, it hasn't yet entered the door. Some families, whose ancestors accumulated virtue and whose family traditions are pure, can naturally retain it. But some cannot. So it's best to paste it inside."
Pei Qian rolled her eyes, "I've been wandering the martial world since I was little, making my home wherever I go. Why should I bother with all this?"
Then she said to Zhou Mili in a low voice, "It means I didn't even have a place to live."
Zhou Mili nodded vigorously, "Same, same. Wandering—that word 'wander' is well used. Like it, really like it. I'm also a little wanderer. I like wandering around Mute Lake."
Zhou Mili raised her hands and mimicked swimming back and forth.
Pei Qian liked chatting with Zhou Mili because she could talk about her childhood without fearing embarrassment. Little Mili simply didn't understand the difference between glory and poverty.
Pei Qian held Little Mili's head and shook it in a circle.
The little girl in black cooperated fully.
Zhu Lian said, "It's not about the weight of the punch."
Pei Qian asked, "Is there a point?"
Zhu Lian smiled, "Do you think I hit the Water God Lady of Jade Liquid River too hard?"
Pei Qian nodded, "It wasn't light."
Zhu Lian asked, "Then why did I throw the punch?"
Pei Qian thought and answered, "To reason with her, to earn money, and to save her."
No one understood Sister Xiuxiu as well as Pei Qian did.
Zhu Lian asked again, "Where was the root of the trouble?"
Pei Qian answered, "As a water god, she was in the rivers and lakes but had no proper conduct. She had no sense of martial world justice. She only focused on making connections with heroes and immortals. As for the common people under her jurisdiction and the feng shui of the region, she did things on the surface but was completely indifferent at heart."
Zhu Lian nodded, "Very good. You can go out into the martial world on your own now."
Pei Qian rolled her eyes, "Without Master's permission, I won't go down the mountain far away."
Zhou Mili nodded, "The martial world outside is very, very dangerous!"
Soon, dishes were brought to the table. It wasn't too lavish, but there was plenty of rice.
Whenever Pei Qian was at the table, the seat of honor was always left empty. During festivals, bowls and chopsticks would be set out there.
Today, just as the four of them were about to start eating, Ruan Xiu walked from the front of the New Year's Shop into the backyard, stopped at the threshold, and said, "Eating, huh?"
Pei Qian stood up, "Ha! Arriving early isn't as good as arriving just in time. Sister Xiu, come eat with us! I'll share a bench with you."
Ruan Xiu smiled, "Sure."
Shi Rou quickly stood up, picked up her bowl and chopsticks, and moved to sit with Zhou Mili.
Zhou Mili filled a big bowl of rice for Ruan Xiu, packed it down firmly with the rice paddle, and set it before Ruan Xiu.
Ruan Xiu patted the little girl's head, sat down, and picked up her chopsticks. Seeing that no one else had moved to eat yet, she smiled, "Eat!"
Pei Qian seemed to want to say something but held back. She glanced toward the front of the New Year's Shop.
The Jade Liquid River Water God Lady was standing there, her water transport aura thin and her golden body unstable.
Ruan Xiu said, "If she bothers you, I'll send her back to the Jade Liquid River Water Palace. Or should I make her kneel at the entrance of Falling Mountain?"
Pei Qian shook her head vigorously, "No, no need."
Zhu Lian smiled as well, "Let's eat first. Eat."
At the founding mountain, Falling Mountain, where the Ancestral Hall was located, at Clear Color Peak.
The easternmost mountain, True Pearl Mountain, was so small it had never been developed.
Treasure Script Mountain, Colorful Cloud Peak, Immortal Herb Mountain—leased to the Dragon Spring Sword Sect for three hundred years.
To the north of Falling Mountain, Gray Mist Mountain, along with Oxhorn Mountain (which had an immortal ferry), Crimson Sand Mountain, Turtle's Back, Radiant Cloud Peak, and the Sword Worship Platform at the westernmost edge—plus the newly acquired Yellow Lake Mountain.
Falling Mountain now had a total of eleven vassal mountains.
Falling Mountain was beginning to attract envy and suspicion.
In particular, the Xu clan of Pure Breeze City had old grudges and new grievances with Falling Mountain, and they wouldn't stay quiet. Back then, Pure Breeze City misjudged the situation and broke ties with Great Li, selling off Crimson Sand Mountain without caring about the price, which then fell into Falling Mountain's hands. Before their marriage alliance with the Yuan clan of the Pillar of State, Pure Breeze City didn't have time to worry about it. But once the situation stabilized, they began to seethe with regret. After all, Crimson Sand Mountain wasn't a trivial profit. They worried it might become a thorn in the young emperor's side, so they wanted it back. The Xu clan had contacted the new Dragon Prefecture governor, Wei Li, and also communicated with the Left Vice Minister of Rites. Both the local feudal official and the high-ranking court official in the capital had approached Falling Mountain one after another, but both ran into nails—soft and hard—from Zhu Lian.
Zhu Lian was very polite to the new governor Wei Li, a former prefect from the Yellow Court Kingdom, when he personally visited the mountain. However, he was much less enthusiastic toward the Ministry of Rites official who had come to Falling Mountain on the pretext of a sacrificial ceremony.
After all, Wei Li was just handling official business. Regarding Crimson Sand Mountain, he showed no bias. Even if out of courtesy he could have simply sent the prefect to the mountain, he still came in person. In contrast, the Ministry of Rites Deputy Director, an official of low rank but high airs—merely an assistant to the Director, a secondary officer in a department—came to Falling Mountain and the first thing he said was that he wanted to visit the Clear Color Peak Ancestral Hall. Zhu Lian didn't give him a good face. Because of this, Zheng Dafeng teased Wei Bo for a whole month, making Wei Bo feel thoroughly disgusted.
In anger, Wei Bo wanted to have that Deputy Director moved from his post. Did he really think a mountain lord of a continent had no connections?
But Zhu Lian dissuaded him, saying it was good to have a fool like that as an opponent—they should keep him well.
Actually, that outwardly timid but inwardly brave foreign sword immortal, Cui Wei, was stuck at the golden core bottleneck. In principle, Cui Wei could challenge the Jade Liquid River with his sword.
But Zhu Lian felt it would be a shame to use such a talented person too early. A mere Pure Breeze City Xu clan wasn't enough to make Falling Mountain panic.
When Cui Wei eventually drew his sword, it must be at the Nascent Soul bottleneck, or even at the Jade Pure Realm. He had to succeed with a single strike, ensuring the enemy died without knowing why, before Cui Wei quietly returned.
Of course, there was a prerequisite: Cui Wei had to genuinely acknowledge Falling Mountain.
As for what the little girl Yuanbao had said about the biggest mistake—where was the error? The error was that she still underestimated the human heart and spirit. A true pillar of a mountain, a mainstay in chaotic times, valued life and death heavily, yet could also forget life and death.
And where was she right? She was right that the little girl herself didn't realize it yet. If she hadn't considered Falling Mountain her own home, she would never have said those words or thought those things.
Zhu Lian knew the human heart, deeply and broadly.
As long as Falling Mountain had Butler Zhu Lian, the young Mountain Lord Chen Ping'an could travel far without worrying about returning late.
At the front of the New Year's Shop.
The Jade Liquid River Water God Lady stood in place, terrified and distressed.
The water palace had offered an apology, but she hadn't gone to Falling Mountain in person. Instead, she sent the second-in-command of the water palace, along with a treasured magic artifact from the water palace's collection. She felt this was enough sincerity.
As for the old man's earlier claim that he had given her a life-saving method, she had never taken it seriously.
Not only that, she had already written a secret memorial that could reach the Minister of Rites directly.
It stated that a water monster from Yellow Court Kingdom's River Patrol, under Falling Mountain, had openly sacrificed a Dragon King's Cage, attempting to suppress the Jade Liquid River Water God Shrine, intimidating the people, and nearly causing a tragedy where the entire shrine's populace died unjustly.
The Falling Mountain steward, Zhu Lian, upon their first meeting, had been brutish and unreasonable, directly striking and severely wounding a river deity who had rendered meritorious service to the region.
In fact, before submitting that memorial, her colleague, the water god of the Flush Dawn River, had advised her, "Endure for a moment, and the wind and waves will calm. For water gods like us, this is most fitting."
But how could she listen? Moreover, that colleague, who had risen to divine status from a monster background, had never truly been worthy of her regard.
As for certain roundabout inside information, he was an outsider.
Ruan Xiu came from the Dragon Spring Sword Sect. She was indeed the only daughter of the sage Ruan Qiong. But Ruan Qiong was known for following the rules. Would he really be willing to, in effect, wrestle with the entire system of landscape laws and regulations of Great Li over something like this?
Before disaster struck, everything seemed reasonable.
When she was arrested and brought to this town on Dragon Rider Alley, the Jade Liquid River Water God Lady felt utterly miserable. She couldn't even cry.
Truly, it was worse than death.
At that table, a group of people seemed like a harmonious family, eating a home-cooked meal.
The water god lady felt like she was holding a bowl of a last meal—an empty bowl at that, not even allowed to eat.
When the meal was over, Shi Rou cleaned up the dishes and table. The others all walked to the shop.
Ruan Xiu was selecting pastries.
Pei Qian, with Zhou Mili, stood behind the counter on small stools. Otherwise, Zhou Mili was too short; you couldn't even see her head.
Zhu Lian sat on a long bench and said with a smile, "In a street brawl, a punch lands on someone, and it hurts a certain amount. In immortal duels, someone gets hit by a magic artifact. Actually, the principle is the same. If you really split hairs, principles have no big or small distinctions, no noble or base differences. Madam Water God, do you understand?"
The water god lady nodded.
Pretending to understand even though she didn't; or even if she understood, she didn't agree. But what could she do given the circumstances?
If Zhou Mili hadn't been a registered disciple of Falling Mountain, if Falling Mountain didn't have that 'she' to teach her a lesson, none of this would have happened.
In the end, both sides were the same—both were using power to pressure others.
Ruan Xiu, who had her back to the group, frowned.
Zhu Lian smiled, "Pei Qian, take Little Mili to the back."
Pei Qian said "Oh," and patted Little Mili's head.
The water god lady immediately knelt on the floor, facing the counter, "I know I was wrong."
Pei Qian scratched her head in frustration, "Why is it so difficult? Isn't it just sincerely admitting a mistake? Is it that hard?! Why do you think that as long as you've fulfilled the formalities and put up a facade, that's enough?"
Then Pei Qian slumped weakly over the counter, "I don't like this. Originally, it was such a simple matter. The water palace official should have just apologized to Little Mili and said 'I'm sorry.' Wouldn't that have been enough? But no, the old woman and the official, with all their filthy scheming, wouldn't admit fault. Instead, they kept generating malicious thoughts, like a clump of black waterweed trying to scare people. What's all this about?"
Zhu Lian smiled, "Wrong. This is precisely where we are being most unreasonable. If outsiders saw or heard this, they would think we are unforgiving, making a mountain out of a molehill, being aggressive. And what makes you even more frustrated is that these outsiders' sympathy isn't entirely a bad thing. On the contrary, it's the baseline that keeps this world from becoming too terrible."
Pei Qian's head ached from listening. She said gloomily, "But we can't just let it escalate like this, can we? If we kill a water god lady, how would outsiders view us, Falling Mountain? You said that outsiders would side with the Jade Liquid River. Besides, I think even if this water god lady refused to admit fault, it wouldn't be right to kill her. If Master were here, how would he handle it?"
Zhu Lian thought for a moment and said, "Probably the young master would straighten out the entire Jade Liquid River Water God Palace from top to bottom, inside and out. Right and wrong, not a bit more, not a bit less."
But there were some things Zhu Lian wouldn't tell Pei Qian now.
For example, the connections to Pure Breeze City's Xu clan, Zheng Yang Mountain, and even some more distant inside information.
Zhou Mili, who was confused, had quietly bent her knees and hidden her head behind the counter.
I don't know anything. I'm not in the shop. None of you can see me...
Zhu Lian wasn't in a hurry.
All of this could also help Pei Qian cultivate her heart.
Otherwise, Zhu Lian would have already acted in accordance with Miss Ruan's wishes.
As Pei Qian understood in her heart, the true great enemy of the Jade Liquid River Water God Palace was actually Pei Qian's Sister Xiu.
Maybe she would directly shatter the water god lady's golden body, or refine the entire Jade Liquid River, leaving only the water god alive. Wasn't she always treating everything—big or small—as nothing? Then let her go argue with the Great Li court using her own logic.
Finding a more conscientious river god wouldn't be difficult for today's Great Li court, would it?
As for some possibilities, ordinary people wouldn't think of them. For example, the little monster being kidnapped, an impeachment memorial being submitted, a mountain being destroyed as a result. As long as it hadn't happened, it wasn't a valid argument. In ancient times, judging the heart and judging the deed were always hard to reconcile.
Pei Qian asked tentatively, "Old Cook, how about we just let it go? I can't figure it out. When Master comes home, I'll ask him."
Zhu Lian smiled and nodded, looking toward Ruan Xiu.
Ruan Xiu picked up a piece of peach blossom cake and put it in her mouth. She turned her head and said indistinctly, "I don't care."
Then Ruan Xiu looked at the water god lady, who was still kneeling, "Still not leaving?"
The water god lady fled in panic.
In her heart, she hated the Pure Breeze City Xu clan's offering master, and even more, she hated the subordinate official who had caused this trouble.
As for Falling Mountain, she didn't dare to hate at all.
As for 'Ruan Xiu,' she dared not even think of her.
Zhu Lian said to Pei Qian, "The purpose of cultivation isn't to be unreasonable, but to better reason with others. Within your power, help the weak clear up principles. There's a vast difference between that and 'a strong fist makes the rule.'"
Then Zhu Lian laughed again, "Take it slow. Everyone's good deeds may differ in size, but a good heart is just a good heart—there's no distinction."
Ruan Xiu continued selecting pastries and said, "Actually, it's not that complicated."
Pei Qian asked, "How so, Sister Xiu?"
Ruan Xiu said, "Cultivate well."
Zhu Lian breathed a sigh of relief. He had been afraid that Miss Ruan would say something shocking and 'pure' in principle.
Ruan Xiu picked up a piece of pastry, "Fresh pastries do taste better."
Pei Qian looked worried, "My cultivation is as slow as a turtle crawling."
Zhou Mili poked her head out, "Actually, turtles swim fast, and they scurry even faster on land! By Mute Lake, I chased them many times!"
Pei Qian reached out and pressed Zhou Mili's head, "What's going on?"
Zhou Mili shook her head, and suddenly a small question that she often remembered but forgot surfaced, "Why do some people like to bully others?"
Zhu Lian laughed silently.
That question really wasn't easy to answer.
Ruan Xiu said, "When people are hungry, they eat all things."
Zhou Mili laughed, "Sister Xiu is the best. She only likes to eat pastries."
Zhu Lian said nothing.
Pei Qian blinked.
Ruan Xiu smiled.
---
A master and a maidservant, two riders heading south through wind and snow.
Their destination was the Old Dragon City at the southernmost tip of Vase Bottle Continent, but they took many detours. They visited the Fox Kingdom of Pure Breeze City's Xu clan, passed through Stone Hair Country, and went to Book Letter Lake.
The young man sat on horseback, dozing.
The maidservant's horse only dared to follow behind, never daring to ride abreast with him.
Song Jixin of Mud Vase Lane had a maidservant following him. Ma Kuxuan of Apricot Blossom Lane, following that example, had also taken a maidservant and named her Shudian (Counting Classics).
The maidservant Shudian, even if she racked her brains, would never have guessed the real reason she was allowed to live.
On the journey south, there were no more assassination attempts, because those willing to stand up for her had all died.
The state of Vase Bottle Continent had gradually moved from chaos to stability, but on this journey, because Ma Kuxuan never took immortal ferries, only rode horses, and didn't like traveling on official highways, they inevitably encountered all sorts of beings: directionless mountain swamp wild cultivators, monsters and ghosts, local mountain and water gods trembling in fear of being classified as licentious shrines, many nostalgic elders and fallen princes of destroyed kingdoms who would shout and cry for no reason at the scenery, and also those suddenly powerful descendants of commoner clans hoping to rise to noble status, strutting about and speaking in the name of 'our Great Li.'
When Ma Kuxuan killed, he never dragged it out or hesitated. He acted purely on whim.
High realms—if they displeased him, he killed. Low realms—he also killed. Even those who weren't cultivators, if they crossed paths with Ma Kuxuan, were killed as well.
But Shudian still couldn't understand why this proud son of heaven, with such a murderous heart, could also rough it in the wild, and when in a good mood, chat for a long time with a mountain woodcutter or an old farmer by the field.
Not long ago, in Stone Hair Country, Ma Kuxuan had killed a group of noble young men who were climbing a mountain to enjoy the snow. They had seen Shudian's attractive appearance and, thinking Ma Kuxuan and his maidservant, both leading horses, weren't immortal cultivators and merely came from a wealthy local family in Stone Hair Country, and since they themselves were from the capital's elite families, they had improper intentions. Stone Hair Country had genuinely been ravaged by war; for ordinary people, a minor accident while traveling was normal.
Ma Kuxuan mounted his horse and gave Shudian two choices: strip naked and let them ravish her, or show a bit of an immortal cultivator's style and kill those young masters.
Shudian's face was paler than the snow.
Ma Kuxuan grew impatient. He flicked his finger, knocking one young master off the cliff. The figure flew like a bird, but its 'cries' were miserable. The others followed suit one by one—climbing the mountain in fox fur together, and falling to their deaths together. During this, a local earth god rushed to intervene, begging for mercy on behalf of the noble scions, but Ma Kuxuan slapped him, shattering his golden body. The slight backlash of karmic energy approached Ma Kuxuan but then dissipated on its own.
Finally, Ma Kuxuan restrained Shudian's cultivation level, bound her hands with a rope, and dragged her behind his horse as he slid down the mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, Ma Kuxuan removed his magical technique. Shudian, after all, was a cultivator, so she wasn't reduced to a bloody mess, but she was a sorry sight, sitting dazedly in the snow.
Ma Kuxuan seemed to have forgotten about this maidservant as he rode off alone.
After a long hesitation, Shudian still mounted her horse and followed Ma Kuxuan through the flurry of snow.
At that time, Ma Kuxuan only laughed and said one sentence, "It's true that I kill indiscriminately, but if you say I kill the innocent, you wrong me."
Shudian, somehow finding the courage, cried out, "You've killed so many people, many of whom didn't deserve death!"
Ma Kuxuan laughed, "Those who truly died innocently weren't as fortunate as you. Not only do you get to live, but you can also shout so loudly."
Finally, Ma Kuxuan looked up at the sky and smiled, "Killing like this—heaven and earth should thank me."
Shudian slumped on her horse, exhausted in both mind and body, whimpering, "You're a madman, a madman."
Ma Kuxuan yawned and continued his lazy journey.
Shudian silently told herself that she must not die, absolutely must not die. She had to see with her own eyes this madman meet his end through his own misdeeds. Someone like Ma Kuxuan would surely face divine retribution!
Then she noticed that this madman seemed to be in a good mood.
In fact, after passing Book Letter Lake, Ma Kuxuan had become a bit more cheerful.
At a large mountain south of Book Letter Lake, where scattered cultivators and wild cultivators congregated, Ma Kuxuan even had the leisure to visit a mountain as a guest. He sat in the seat of honor, asked some questions, and became even happier.
That fellow from Mud Vase Lane had spent almost three years there and seemed to have had a very unpleasant time.
That made Ma Kuxuan feel very pleased.
Ma Kuxuan reached out, formed a snowball, turned around, and threw it casually at Shudian's head. She didn't dare dodge. The snowball exploded, scattering snowflakes and briefly obscuring her vision.
Ma Kuxuan stretched lazily and laughed, "Back in the town, I never had snowball fights with anyone. Actually, that's not true. I often got hit for no reason. Seeing them happy made me happy too."
Thinking of that town, that Pearl Bead Cave Heaven, Shudian shivered with cold all over.
Everything today was a consequence of that journey.
Ma Kuxuan waved his hand, signaling her to follow.
Ma Kuxuan said, "The Pearl Bead Cave Heaven opens once every sixty years. You lot were the last batch allowed in. Didn't you have any thoughts about that?"
Then he said to himself, "Probably not. You just drifted with the current, never thinking of getting to shore."
Shudian said, "I did think about it."
Ma Kuxuan turned his head and laughed, "Oh? So you actually have a brain?"
Shudian said, "Your mind is higher than the sky. Why do you go to such lengths to humiliate me? What's the point?"
Ma Kuxuan found it beneath him to answer such a question. He only asked, "Do you remember the group that entered the Pearl Bead Cave Heaven before you?"
Shudian remained silent.
Ma Kuxuan stretched out both hands and began packing another snowball, talking to himself, "When the Great Li court opened the gates for the last time, the first batch to reach the town, the treasure seekers who entered the Pearl Bead Cave Heaven first—none of them were simple. You lot, who arrived later, were also chosen carefully by the late emperor of the Great Li Song clan and the Embroidered Tiger. Not completely useless, except for you."
"Come to think of it, you are a thorough waste. But those Tide Cavalry that were implicated because of you—they were somewhat useful to Great Li."
Ma Kuxuan shook his head, "Unfortunately, they ran into me."
Shudian wailed miserably, "You yourself said one should bear the consequences of one's own actions. You were the one at fault first! Back then, you deliberately struck out and ruined my cultivation. Even if I committed a grave error afterward, why didn't you just kill me? Why such a massacre?"
Ma Kuxuan had already turned to his own thoughts. After a moment, he turned his head and asked, "What did you say just now?"
Shudian fell silent again.
Ma Kuxuan didn't care. If her Dao heart had truly shattered completely, she wouldn't be fun anymore.
Ma Kuxuan suddenly asked, "How about I take on a disciple who will definitely like you in the future, and let him help you take revenge?"
Shudian was stunned.
Ma Kuxuan's eyes lit up. He thought this might be interesting. "How about it? I guarantee that before he kills me, I won't kill him, and afterward, I won't kill you either. You just sit back and watch the show. I only warn you of one thing: don't let him succeed too easily, and don't let it become real and fall for him. I don't care about that, but if that happens, he might get tired of you and turn the tables. He might kill you to show his loyalty to me. Then you two would be a 'lovers' suicide'? Wouldn't that disgust me?"
Shudian stared at this madman.
Cultivators are supposed to be detached from emotions and desires.
But how many were as extreme as this man before her?
Ma Kuxuan curled his lip, "When you figure it out, just tell me. I'll certainly grant your wish."
Ma Kuxuan weighed the snowball in his hand and looked into the distance. The wind and snow blurred everything. The road ahead was vast. Heaven and earth were bleak.
Ma Kuxuan's thoughts drifted far away.
Back then, when that barefoot boy from Mud Vase Lane had gone to the town's fence gate to receive letters from Zheng Dafeng, Ma Kuxuan had also left Apricot Blossom Lane and watched from afar by the main gate.
The scene Chen Ping'an saw outside the gate, Ma Kuxuan naturally saw too.
Earlier, the only Upper Five Realm wild cultivator in Vase Bottle Continent, Liu Laocheng's sole direct disciple, a descendant of the Yunlin Jiang clan, Jiang Yun.
This fellow had obtained the fortune of the Iron Lock Well.
The Great Sui Crown Prince Gao Xuan had bought the golden carp from Li Er and even gotten a Dragon King's Cage for free. Later, Great Sui and Great Li signed an alliance treaty. Gao Xuan served as a hostage, living under someone else's roof, studying at Linlu Academy on Cloak Cloud Mountain. In the future, he would likely become the emperor of Great Sui.
Fu Nanhua, the next city lord of Old Dragon City.
Cai Jinjian of Cloud Gorge Mountain. Cloud Gorge Mountain was one of the few immortal mountains in Vase Bottle Continent that progressed through Buddhist practices. Now it had conveniently become one of the four major sect candidates. The cultivators of Cloud Gorge Mountain were traditionally well-versed in Buddhist precepts and temple construction methods. They had descended the mountain to assist the Ministry of Works officials of Great Li in rebuilding temples across the various vassal territories of Great Li. Glorious, wasn't it?
Zheng Yang Mountain. The old monkey who moved mountains was protecting a little girl. What was her name? Tao Zi? He remembered that even at such a young age, she was very much like a mountain person.
And that mother and son from Pure Breeze City's Xu clan.
Later, by marrying their legitimate daughter to a concubine's son, they finally allied with Great Li's Pillar of State Yuan clan, becoming a marriage connection. Now they were also a sect candidate.
Ning Yao.
Gao Xuan with his attendant eunuch. Jiang Yun. Fu Nanhua, Cai Jinjian.
The mountain-moving ape, Tao Zi. The lady of Pure Breeze City's Xu clan, leading a child in a bright red dharma robe.
At that time, the muddy-laned boy, who earned money as a courier, stood at the gate, while the group stood outside.
Probably neither side, inside or outside the gate, had imagined how many grudges and loves would unfold from that.
Back then, what Ma Kuxuan regretted most was that Pure Breeze City had been too soft, and that old ape beast was even more useless. Neither Liu Xianyang nor Chen Ping'an had been eliminated.
Ma Kuxuan sighed. "Below the mountaintop, if you have a little brain, the depth and precision of your scheming are there. What's missing is only the height. That's what smart people hate most. They can see it with their eyes open, but they just can't get there."
"What can you do about a bad fate?"
"Song Jixin of Mud Vase Lane went from being a despised overseer's illegitimate son to a dragon seed of the Great Li Song clan, now a vassal king. He's just lucky, nothing more."
Ma Kuxuan lightly tossed the snowball. "I didn't expect to have to work under such a lucky fool. My fate isn't so good either."
---
At Book Letter Lake's Palace Willow Island, where the True Realm Sect's Ancestral Hall was located.
When Jiang Shangzhen returned from Vase Bottle Continent to Tung Leaf Continent, everything turned upside down. Not just the Jade Gui Sect itself; the entire continent's landscape changed with it.
Take the Jade Gui Sect. The peak master of Nine Chess Peak, Wei Ying, a Jade Pure Realm sword immortal, was personally 'escorted out' by Jiang Shangzhen and sent to the True Realm Sect, a subordinate sect of the Jade Gui Sect in Book Letter Lake. Wei Ying became the new sect master.
Wei Ying left the continent and headed north, taking many people with him.
Among them were Jiang Shangzhen's legitimate eldest son, Jiang Heng.
Also a young woman named Crow, whom Jiang Shangzhen had brought from Lotus Flower Land to the Haoran world back then.
The entire Nine Chess Peak had six disciples, all direct disciples of Wei Ying. Among them were one military cultivator, one pure martial artist, and four sword cultivators. These six each had their own disciples, totaling fourteen people.
Besides Nine Chess Peak, there were branch peaks from various mountains of the Jade Gui Sect. All were cultivators under a hundred years old, mostly in the Middle Five Realms below the Nascent Soul stage. The majority were young boys and girl Qi refiners, totaling sixty people.
When Wei Ying led the team to Book Letter Lake, the True Realm Sect's chief offering master Liu Laocheng happened to be in the Great Li capital for a meeting.
But even though Liu Laocheng wasn't in Book Letter Lake, his influence had already permeated every level of the True Realm Sect. In fact, one could say every corner of Book Letter Lake bore the heavy imprint of Liu Laocheng.
As soon as Wei Ying arrived at the True Realm Sect—or more precisely, as soon as Jiang Shangzhen left Book Letter Lake—three factions immediately formed.
First, the old Book Letter Lake faction led by Liu Laocheng.
Second, Li Fuqu's group, who had left Tung Leaf Continent early as registered disciples of the Jade Gui Sect. Actually, those who had followed her back then weren't followers of Jiang Shangzhen, but of a certain ancestor of the Tongye Sect's Law Enforcement Hall who had defected to the Jade Gui Sect carrying the sect's guardian treasure.
After becoming an offering master and breaking into the Upper Five Realms, Liu Zhimao—who had successfully reclaimed Green Gorge Island—grew close to Li Fuqu and became the pillar of this faction. Otherwise, Li Fuqu's 'crossing dragon' force couldn't have countered Liu Laocheng's local powers.
Third, Wei Ying, the new sect master who had taken over ready-made.
When Jiang Shangzhen was in Book Letter Lake, it wasn't so complicated. What was mine was mine; what was yours was also mine.
After Wei Ying arrived at Book Letter Lake, he made no moves. After all, the True Realm Sect already had established procedures for accommodating these Jade Gui Sect cultivators. With so many islands—almost all belonging to the sect—how could there be a shortage of places for the new sect master's supporters? Li Fuqu was from the Jade Gui Sect, so she naturally dared not show the slightest disrespect to Wei Ying. But respect was respect; Li Fuqu dared not go further by pledging allegiance or attaching herself to Wei Ying.
Today, Li Fuqu arrived at Green Gorge Island and was drinking tea with Liu Zhimao in his newly rebuilt mansion.
Li Fuqu was anxious and worried, her brow furrowed.
Liu Zhimao smiled, "Are you that afraid of Sect Master Jiang?"
Li Fuqu's relationship with Liu Zhimao was decent. She wouldn't open her heart completely, but when it came to important matters, she was willing to show a bit more sincerity. She admitted frankly, "How can I not be afraid? I'm afraid to the bone."
Liu Zhimao nodded, "It's not just you and me. Liu Laocheng is afraid too. So let's just leave it at that. Do what needs to be done. If we can live, it's already a small blessing."
Li Fuqu smiled bitterly, "What else can we do?"
Even though Jiang Shangzhen had established the subordinate sect in Book Letter Lake and then returned to Tongye Sect to become the Jade Gui Sect's sect master, he never bothered to speak to Li Fuqu, nor did he leave any instructions. He adopted an 'do whatever you want' attitude. Without even saying goodbye, he had ridden alone back to Tung Leaf Continent.
Yet Li Fuqu remained diligent and cautious, not daring any underhanded moves, strictly adhering to her role, guarding her original territory, neither losing an inch nor striving for an ounce.
Even though Wei Ying was recognized as the foremost cultivator of the Jade Gui Sect in terms of talent and the master of Nine Chess Peak, now the True Realm Sect's sect master, Li Fuqu still dared not overstep. She could only brace herself to be the unwelcome villain, responsible for restraining both Wei Ying and Liu Laocheng.
The reason was simple: she was afraid she wouldn't know how she died.
Li Fuqu even felt that if Wei Ying died one day in Book Letter Lake—say, during seclusion, or by accidentally drowning while falling into the water, or choking to death on a steamed bun—it wouldn't surprise her.
Because Li Fuqu had no idea what Jiang Shangzhen wanted, what he would do, or what he was after when he did things.
In contrast, Wei Ying, with all his sharpness, had some traceable thoughts.
As for Jiang Shangzhen, he was always a man who was near at hand and far beyond the horizon at the same time.
What was even more terrifying was that Jiang Shangzhen, though seemingly far away, felt as if he could appear at any moment.
Back when Jiang Shangzhen left the Jade Gui Sect in a fit of anger, it was rumored that Du Mao had personally invited Jiang Shangzhen to join the Tongye Sect, promising that if he broke into the Upper Five Realms, he would be the next sect master.
Jiang Shangzhen asked Du Mao if the alternative was death if he refused. Du Mao laughed heartily and shook his head. Jiang Shangzhen didn't accept, continued north, traveled far to Northern Gouchen Continent.
However, it was said that on his return trip, Jiang Shangzhen deliberately took a detour, avoiding land routes and sneaking south by sea. Nevertheless, he was intercepted by a Jade Pure Realm cultivator from the Tongye Sect, who pursued him for tens of thousands of miles. The result was that Jiang Shangzhen, looking like a beggar, landed on the shore, while that old Jade Pure Realm immortal had vanished without a trace—truly a clay ox entering the sea, gone without a word. To this day, Jiang Shangzhen hasn't explained the circumstances. The Tongye Sect never asked afterward either. Both sides simply acted as if nothing had happened, leaving behind a puzzling cold case that outsiders loved to gossip about.
Before the True Realm Sect had even established a foothold in Vase Bottle Continent, Sect Master Jiang Shangzhen dropped everything to travel and enjoy the scenery. He went to Northern Gouchen Continent a second time, did nothing of note, and only brought back a baby in swaddling. The child's talent was utterly ordinary, but Jiang Shangzhen treated her like his own daughter. And how did Jiang Shangzhen treat his only son, Jiang Heng? Didn't everyone in the Jade Gui Sect know?
The strange tales and odd stories about Jiang Shangzhen could fill several large baskets.
Earlier, when he failed to get Nine Chess Peak, everyone thought Jiang Shangzhen would never have anything to do with the title of 'sect master.' But first, unexpectedly, he replaced that defected Law Enforcement Ancestor from Tongye Sect and became the subordinate sect's master. Now, against all odds, he had become the Jade Gui Sect's sect master.
This man, who had single-handedly stirred up chaos in Northern Gouchen Continent, after becoming the True Realm Sect's master, inexplicably began to keep his head down. Then, after becoming the Jade Gui Sect's master, when everyone expected him to strike at the Tongye Sect, he personally went to the beleaguered Tongye Sect and proactively requested an alliance.
Li Fuqu asked, "When will Liu Laocheng return? Will he join forces with Sect Master Wei against you and me?"
Liu Zhimao smiled, "Aren't you overestimating yourself and me? And underestimating Liu Laocheng and even more so, Sect Master Wei?"
Li Fuqu felt a flash of anger, then nodded, "Indeed."
Liu Zhimao said, "We so-called smart people always think that benefits are everywhere for the taking, so we always want to do more things. But truly smarter people should know from the start what they cannot do."
Li Fuqu pondered for a moment, "I am not your equal."
Liu Zhimao smiled, "It's not that your mind is inferior to mine. It's just that as a wild cultivator from mountain swamps, I tend to overthink things. Registered disciples of great sects have no worries; on their cultivation path, they don't need to cultivate their hearts much—just follow the steps and ascend step by step. But a wild cultivator can't do that. One small matter thought too simplistically leads to eternal damnation. Do you know the most frustrating thing in my life, something I've never been able to let go of to this day?"
Li Fuqu shook her head.
Liu Zhimao said, "When I became a Third Realm Qi refiner, I lost a low-grade spiritual artifact due to my own stupidity. I felt the world had gone dark. I thought my life was over and almost fell into a slump, my Great Path severed. After that, even in life-threatening dangers where I hung by a thread, I never felt so disheartened again."
Li Fuqu said sincerely, "I truly cannot imagine that."
The new sect master Wei Ying had been living a reclusive life in his mansion on Green Gorge Island since his arrival.
Wei Ying, with nothing else to do, had created a landscape painting scroll in the main hall, marking circles and lines on it.
For example, he circled the Northern Peak Cloak Cloud Mountain and the Dragon Spring Sword Sect together; the Central Peak and the Viewing Lake Academy; the Southern Peak and Old Dragon City; the Eastern Peak and True Martial Mountain; the Western Peak and the Snowstorm Temple; the Yunlin Jiang clan and the Green Luan Country...
Wei Ying looked up and said with a smile, "Offering Master Liu, no need to observe those formalities. Come straight in."
Liu Laocheng arrived outside the main hall. Wei Ying casually dispersed the scroll.
Liu Laocheng only glanced at the scroll.
Wei Ying and Liu Laocheng sat down together. Wei Ying didn't take the seat of honor; they sat opposite each other.
Liu Laocheng said, "I failed to welcome the sect master. How rude of me."
Wei Ying smiled, "We cultivators only need to examine our hearts."
Although Liu Laocheng had signed a secret mountain oath in the Great Li capital, as the new sect master, Wei Ying had the right to know about it, as it didn't violate the contract.
After hearing it, Wei Ying said, "Minister Cui is truly admirable. Since the True Realm Sect is located in Vase Bottle Continent, we should naturally do our utmost. Apart from keeping some seeds of the Great Path, we should spend money when needed, and contribute manpower and resources—that's only right. Offering Master Liu can reply immediately to the Great Li emperor: including myself, Liu Zhimao, Li Fuqu, and all True Realm Sect cultivators aside from those seeds of the Great Path, along with all vassal forces, are all at the disposal of the Great Li court."
Liu Laocheng was silent for a moment, then stood up and cupped his fists, "The sect master has far-reaching vision."
Wei Ying stood up with a smile, "Offering Master Liu, I have a request."
Liu Laocheng didn't even ask, just nodded.
Finally, Wei Ying picked up a long sword from the table and left the mansion with Liu Laocheng. They found a woman walking by the waterside of Palace Willow Island.
Sui Youbian.
Liu Laocheng was a bit confused, not knowing why this young sect master wanted to see Sui Youbian, and why he had to be present.
Wei Ying walked up to her, "If I hadn't brought Offering Master Liu along, I'm afraid you'd have died for nothing again."
As for why Sui Youbian was still alive, Wei Ying wouldn't ask. And as for why she didn't follow Jiang Shangzhen back to the Jade Gui Sect to avoid him, Wei Ying wouldn't ask either.
Because the answers or truths to many things in this world were actually unimportant.
Sui Youbian stopped in her tracks, "Finished?"
Wei Ying smiled, "Regardless, it's quite unexpected to meet again so soon."
Wei Ying raised the long sword in his hand, "This is your Infatuation Sword. I retrieved it for you. Not high in rank, but it has a good name."
Wei Ying lightly tossed the long sword to Sui Youbian.
But Sui Youbian didn't catch it. After the sword fell to the ground, she kicked it into Book Letter Lake, where it sank far to the bottom. "When I have enough realm, I will retrieve it myself."
Wei Ying nodded, "Alright."
Sui Youbian continued walking.
Wei Ying remained where he was.
That Uncle Jiang had only entrusted him with two things, neither of which had a single copper coin's worth of relation to the True Realm Sect's eternal enterprise.
One: don't provoke Sui Youbian anymore.
Two: take good care of the child he had brought back from Northern Gouchen Continent. All expenses should be recorded on the books. The Jiang clan would repay double later.
Wei Ying agreed to both.
Watching the woman's retreating figure grow smaller and smaller.
Wei Ying began to look forward to that sword challenge. He hoped he wouldn't have to wait too long.
For now, Wei Ying's only concern was the strangeness of the sword Dao fate in Vase Bottle Continent.
This could affect his own Great Path.
---
In a certain alley, a white-robed young man was playing chess in the street to earn money. He had already won quite a few copper coins, enough for dinner.
As for the chessboard and pieces, he had won them from a fellow traveler who had lost everything and left cursing.
Crouching beside the white-robed young man was a child with a wooden expression.
Cui Dongshan looked at the sky. Almost time.
He packed up his gear and left the alley. The child carried the chessboard and pieces in a bundle on his back.
Cui Dongshan used the money he earned to buy a meal and some wine, then found an inn to stay in.
Cui Dongshan pulled out a blank sheet of paper, leaned over the table, and held the brush upside down, gently tapping the tabletop.
He glanced at the child sitting silently across from him. Cui Dongshan smiled slyly, "Brother Gao, maybe in the future, you and Cui Ci will be the founding ancestors."
The child looked bewildered, staring at Cui Dongshan.
Cui Dongshan withdrew his gaze. He hadn't written anything on the paper yet. Instead, he continued perfecting in his mind the three fundamental threads, nine outlines, and thirty-six detailed rules.
But among these, Cui Dongshan needed to filter and define an enormous number of items.
Joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, worry, melancholy, stupor, shock, fear, stillness, deliberation. Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind. Body, family, local customs, country, world, life and death.
Sense of identity. Resistance to loneliness. Sense of belonging. Peace of body and mind. Sense of achievement. Dissolving tangible things with intangible things.
Various situations on the path of life: separation in life, parting by death. Bustle, solitude, loneliness, pleasure, satiety, hunger and cold. Comfort, warmth, contentment, satisfaction. Scorching heat. Bitter cold.
Needle pricks, heartache, grief, fury, anger, secret joy, relief, shame, chagrin, regret, admiration, love, envy, hatred, resentment, pleasure, sadness, worry, jealousy...
The next, more complex level: relief, trance, confusion, entanglement, sudden enlightenment...
The next level of perception: resilience, disintegration, persistence, indifference, coldness, fervor, vigor, composure...
Between these three levels, Cui Dongshan also had to perform a huge amount of inversion, substitution, and correction.
Among these three levels, there was an extremely complex process of conflict, fusion, killing, fading, rebirth, growth, and return to nothingness.
There would be virtualized whirlpools of varying sizes, ripples spreading in all directions, some increasing, some decreasing, some canceling each other out, some superimposing, some bypassing each other, some never even meeting from start to finish.
One of the key starting points was the storage of human thoughts—how many there were and how to classify them.
Seeing with one's own eyes, far away in books, close at hand, hearing, remembering, thinking one remembered, clarity, remembering but being unaware, blurry, chaotic, occasionally triggered, only occurring at certain critical moments, like playing through chess patterns, set formulas, a flash of insight, a stroke of inspiration—the immortal's hand.
Thus, a second matter emerged: determining a triggering mechanism. Only then could there be words and deeds, poetry and songs, the rise and fall of the human heart, and ten thousand phenomena.
Everything in the world has no pure 'motionless stillness.' Everything is pieced together. Countless infinitesimally small objects become tangible objects visible to the eye. Countless trivial matters form a life as illusory as a dream. Books will yellow, mountains will rise and fall, plants will grow and wither, people will be born, age, get sick, and die.
Cui Dongshan continued to tap the table lightly with the brush handle, staring at the blank sheet of paper that hadn't a single word on it.
Back when he traveled to Great Sui, he had once taken out three objects: a bowl of water, a stone, and a tree branch.
He had also half-jokingly said to his teacher and Xiao Baoping and the others that a common mortal would need to be reborn and transformed many times in a lifetime, and undergo countless silent changes between life and death.
The stone was like the human body, or like a mountain, enduring wind, sun, and rain, bearing all things, a heaven and earth in itself, actually in a relatively static state of flow.
The water in the bowl was the flow of thoughts. The tree branch was the fundamental thread, the rule by which the Great Path operated.
Over the years, Cui Dongshan had been wrestling with these matters.
The relatively broad seven emotions and six desires were actually far from sufficient.
The first porcelain person Cui Dongshan had created was the boy servant Cui Ci, whom Li Xisheng had taken with him. That boy could already be considered skilled in general calculations, but 'emotion' was still very thin. Simply put, his foundation was too weak, he lacked a sense of belonging, and was limited by too simple a body and soul. The bottleneck of the Great Path was too great; becoming a golden core guest was a luxury.
But this 'Brother Gao' before him would have more thoughts, clearer and firmer threads. In the future, he would not only be able to play chess and cultivate up to the Nascent Soul bottleneck, but he would also be able to write poetry and compose songs, create everything related to emotion, and genuinely believe he was a real 'human being.' In this world, there was no such thing as something illusory. Everything had a trace. So those so-called 'enlightened' talisman puppets, if they encountered Cui Ci, especially Brother Gao, they would all kneel and call him their ancestor.
But even so, there was still a considerable gap from Cui Dongshan's expectations.
One reason was the high cost. Another was the large bottleneck. And yet another was Cui Dongshan's true concern: repeating the pitfalls of gods and men.
Cui Dongshan sighed. Annoying.
He called out to Brother Gao and had the child carry him around the room on his back.
Cui Dongshan, with one hand swinging his big white sleeve, and the other patting the child's head, imitated his senior sister's manner of speaking and said cheerfully, "Little brother, why are you so obedient?"